MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Over this past weekend, USA Rice attended the annual Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) here, the world's largest meeting of food and nutrition experts and registered dietitian nutritionists.
Thousands of dietitians, food policy makers, healthcare providers, nutrition scientists and researchers, and food industry leaders convened to explore the latest trends and offerings in food, nutrition, and health.
“Visitors to the USA Rice booth in the Expo Hall had the opportunity to ask questions about nutrition and food safety, and, of course, play the famous Think Rice trivia wheel,” said Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of communications & strategic development who attended the trade show. “We distributed industry resources including recipes, research one-pagers, and teaching tools developed specifically for dietitians, and collected survey data on-site from attendees on rice usage, applications, and nutritional reputation.”
The USA Rice booth also featured an eye-catching interactive rice display showcasing 18 U.S.-grown rice varieties that enabled staff to explain the differences – from grain size to applications and nutritional components.
“Every year we look forward to this conference because of all the personal connections made with the various stakeholders responsible for supporting healthy lifestyles and shaping food policy,” said Klein. “This engagement with dietary professionals gives us a better understanding of current consumer interests and illuminates areas of concern that, in turn, helps guide development of USA Rice educational materials.”
Klein said he was pleased to see once again that dietary health professionals appreciate rice’s many benefits – from nutritional and environmental to social and cost-effectiveness – and all continue to recommend rice to their clients.