On the weekend starting October 15, thousands of registered dietitians and nutrition experts will gather in Boston for one of the largest annual food and nutrition conferences in the U.S. The event, called the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) is hosted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics—the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, with more than 100,000 nutrition practitioners.
However, not everyone appreciates the attendee list. Every year, companies that sell junk food attend the event, and as of Friday, the Expo’s floor plan shows companies like PepsiCo and Nestle (which makes candy like KitKat and Butterfinger) will have booths near the main entrance. Other trade organizations like the American Beverage Association, the National Confectioners Association and the Sugar Association will also be on the expo floor.
“[These] corporations are simply not aligned with nutrition or public health,” says registered dietitian Andy Bellatti, strategic director of the group Dietitians For Professional Integrity. “In my opinion, this makes them completely inappropriate for a nutrition conference.