Dairy product consumption levels continue to strengthen on a global basis. And this trend looks likely to be maintained.
This reflects the growing recognition that dairy products can play in a balanced diet according to Dairy Council for Northern Ireland (DCNI) chief executive, Ian Stevenson.
“Independent research continues to highlight the value of nutritional dairy products in the diets of people within all age groups,” he told Agriland.
“Initially the drive to boost dairy consumption levels was focused on Europe. But this principle has now been expanded to other regions of the world.
“It is significant that organisations such as the Gates Foundation are actively developing dairy programmes that produce more milk; safer milk. This is in recognition of the fact that milk can lift families out of poverty and protect children from stunting.”
Dairy conference
Meanwhile, DCNI continues to liaise with medical professionals, teachers and those working within the human nutrition sector.
A case in point was the recent ‘Nutrition and Health: What’s New?’ conference, hosted by DCNI and specifically organised for health and nutrition professionals.
Chaired by Prof. Sean Strain OBE, emeritus professor of human nutrition at Ulster University, the event featured a distinguished line-up of academic and clinical experts addressing these urgent nutritional concerns in public health.
Prof. Jane Murphy of Bournemouth University opened the conference with an exploration of malnutrition in later life including research as to the most effective approaches to preventing and managing under-nutrition.
She also highlighted some of the ongoing work to improve food and nutritional care for people living in care homes, including in Northern Ireland.
Prof. Murphy underscored what this means for older people potentially leading to improved physical and mental health, increased quality of life, pleasure in eating, maintaining independence and reducing carer burden and associated costs.
Looking at another aspect of under-nutrition, Ulster University’s Dr. Sinéad Furey followed with a session on food insecurity among children in the UK.
She discussed recent statistics on household food poverty in Northern Ireland and the contributing factors including income instability, rising food and fuel costs, and social inequalities.
Courtesy of her presentation,  Dr. Anne Nugent from Queen’s University Belfast spoke about the challenge of striking the right balance between ‘nutrition’ and ‘environment’ in achieving sustainable diets, and potential risks of missing out on important nutrients such as calcium, iron and iodine.Â
She explored whether meeting nutritional and environmental goals simultaneously through dietary change can be achieved.
Concluding the speaker line-up, Dr. Sarah Bath of the University of Surrey explored the resurgence of iodine deficiency in the UK, particularly in the context of rising plant-based diets.Â
She outlined the important role that milk plays in iodine intake, the lower iodine content in plant-based drinks, and the potential associated health risks.
