After a hectic few days, I am back from Philadelphia where I was one of more than 8,000 nutrition professionals at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' (AND) Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE). Days were filled with presentations, exhibits on the expo floor and conversations with fellow registered dietitians. There were a number of events and expo booths hosted by IDFA member companies, so I enjoyed tasting new dairy products and learning more about what these companies are doing to promote the nutritional benefits of dairy. It was especially fantastic to meet up with some of the members of IDFA’s Nutrition Working Group. Some of the big trends I noticed at FNCE: Protein: Everywhere I went I heard about the importance of people consuming enough protein for optimal health— to aid recovery in athletes and to prevent loss of muscle in older adults. Dairy was well represented as a good source of high-quality protein, from Greek yogurt to milk-based recovery beverages. Role of food industry and packaged food: Multiple sessions examined the impact of processed or packaged foods and the food industry as a whole in encouraging healthy food choices. Most sessions presented a point/counterpoint format, with arguments on both sides of the issue. One such session is summarized in this article, "Why can’t the food industry and consumer advocacy groups meet half-way?" Big nutrition for little people: Nutrition for children is always a hot topic. These sessions included an update on the nutrition updates to school meals (including a presentation from Dayle Hayes of School Meals Rock and sampling of flavored milks and snacks attractive to kids. I’ll discuss some of these topics in later blog posts. But if you were there, or if you heard some coverage of FNCE, which topics would you like to hear more about?