2010 is shaping up to be a busy year in all areas related to nutrition and healthy eating. With the fight against childhood obesity taking center stage, all the way up to the White House, IDFA believes it's important that dairy continues to be viewed as part of the solution, not part of the problem. You can help the industry's efforts by participating in IDFA's Working Group on Nutrition.

The working group discusses and provides input to staff on issues such as school food, nutrition labeling and labeling claims. Recent activity has centered around the National Initiative to Reduce Sodium in Foods, Child Nutrition Reauthorization and the Food and Drug Administration's consumer studies on changes to nutrition labeling.

Upcoming issues on the group's agenda include the interagency report on advertising food to children, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee report on front-of-pack nutrition symbols, updates to the Nutrition Facts label and continued work on Child Nutrition Reauthorization. Most work takes place through conference calls or email, and working group members can choose to participate only when an issue is of interest to them.

The next conference call for the Working Group on Nutrition will be scheduled for the week of February 15 to discuss the first meeting of the IOM Committee on front-of-pack nutrition symbols and the latest meeting of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Scientific Advisory Committee. If you or another person from your company would like to participate in the working group, contact Michelle Matto, assistant director for nutrition and regulatory affairs, at mmatto@idfa.org.