WATCH TODAY: Our Food For Kids Summit explores the challenges & opportunities of early childhood nutrition

09-Nov-2021 - Last updated on 10-Nov-2021 at 13:11 GMT

Parents and caregivers crave information about how best to feed their children, and while they have a lot of resources available via the Internet, health care providers, peer groups and brand marketing – they aren’t always sure what to trust or where to turn for unbiased, science-based information.

During the first part of FoodNavigator-USA’s Food For Kids Summit tomorrow, Nov. 10, we will take a close look at how parents approach their children’s nutrition – from breastfeeding or bottle feeding to the pivotal first bites of solid food – and at how infant formula and baby food manufacturers are either helping or complicating their journey.

Three moms will share their joys and frustrations with breastfeeding – including how they altered their diet to boost production and provide children with key nutrients – how they approached weaning and the introduction of solids and allergens, and what more the food and beverage industry can do to better support parents and caregivers of young children during the pivotal first 1,000 days of lives.

One way that industry can better serve parents and caregivers is by leveraging new guidance for children under 2 years included for the first time in 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines. Nestle Nutrition Gerber Baby Food Principle Scientist Sarah Smith-Simpson breaks down the recommendations and shares how Nestle and Gerber are innovating to balance these guidelines and consumers’ evolving needs.

DSM North America’s Early Life Nutrition Segment Lead Toni Farinella highlights additional white space ripe for product development as revealed by proprietary consumer research conducted by DSM around caregivers’ attitudes and behaviors toward nutrition and feeding during the first 1,000 days.

We will also celebrate the strides baby food companies are making with Partnership for Healthier America in tackling the age-old challenge of convincing children not only to eat but to love their veggies through the launch of the Shaping Early Palates Initiative led by Ella Daniels.

Our event will round out with a panel discussion that takes a deeper dive into how industry can support caregivers as they introduce food and allergens to infants and toddlers, the opportunities presented by the new Dietary Guidelines for children under two and how stakeholders across board can best ensure the health of future generations. Speakers include:

Kristi King, a pediatric dietitian at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine,
Katina Langley, a registered dietitian and the medical science liaison for Reckitt Benckiser/ Mead Johnson Nutrition,
Jenny Cassel, head of brand marketing at the children’s food brand Yumi,
Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, pediatrician and chief medical officer for the allergen introduction brand SpoonfulONE, and bringing back
Toni Farinella, the segment lead for early life nutrition and nutrition improvement at our sponsor DSM North America.

Register now for tomorrow’s FREE virtual Food For Kids Summit. If you can’t make the live event, register anyway and you will receive a recording with the presentations and all the insights shared by parents and industry peers.

And be sure to come back again next Wednesday Nov. 17 to explore the challenges and opportunities in the children's snack segment.