At the IUNS International Congress of Nutrition (IUNS-ICN), held in Paris, FENS will host a series of four expert-led symposia spotlighting major advancements and challenges in nutrition science. These sessions will bring together leading researchers from across Europe and beyond to discuss cutting-edge tools, sustainable dietary models and the future of research quality and communication. From digital food data to global nutrition standards, each symposium offers timely insights aimed at strengthening both the science and practice of nutrition.

Below is a preview of the four FENS-hosted symposia at ICN 2025:

Symposium 1: Deciphering Complexity: Exploring human data from food purchases to metabolomics

Chair: Professor Sladjana Sobajic
Date & Time: Monday 25th August 2025 | 08:00–09:30
Room: 342A

This symposium will highlight innovative data science methods and technologies that enhance nutrition research, particularly in dietary assessment, consumption patterns, and microbiota-host interactions.

Presentations include:

• Professor Mikael Fogelholm: Using loyalty card food purchase data to assess consumption trends and societal resilience.
• Professor Lorraine Brennan: Applying metabolomics to analyse nutrient intake and dietary patterns.
• Doctor Jonathan Swann: Exploring how metabolomics can reveal biochemical interactions between the microbiota and host and their health impacts.

The objective is to showcase how novel tools, including metabolomics and digital data sources, can improve the accuracy and reliability of dietary data essential for nutrition policy and guidelines, while also acknowledging their limitations.

Symposium 2: A Voluntary Code of Conduct for Measuring and Promoting Adherence and Sustainability of the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet)

Chair: Professor Jacques Delarue
Date & Time: Tuesday 26th August 2025 | 08:00–09:30
Room: 341

This symposium builds on previous events focused on the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) as a model for sustainable diets, continuing the work of the MedDiet Task Force (FENS, IUNS, CIHEAM). Presentations by Doctor Nahla Hwalla, Professor Doctor Marcela González-Gross and others will address strategies to reverse declining adherence to the MedDiet, particularly among youth in its region of origin. The aim is to establish consensus on promoting and measuring adherence and sustainability of the MedDiet through the development of a voluntary code of conduct and a unified adherence score. Although the MedDiet is widely recognized for its health benefits and sustainability, even designated by UNESCO as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage”, its adoption is declining, challenged by the rise of ultra-processed foods. The symposium will also highlight the methodological difficulties in creating a common metric that captures all four pillars of sustainable diets: health/nutrition, environmental impact, economic viability, and sociocultural value. Engaging stakeholders and policymakers is the next step in operationalising these safeguarding measures to revitalise the MedDiet.

Symposium 3: FENS Presidential Activity on Improving Standards in the Science of Nutrition

Chair: Professor Philip Calder
Date & Time: Wednesday 27th August 2025 | 11:15–12:45
Room: Maillot

From 2019 to 2023, FENS conducted a Presidential initiative aimed at improving standards in the science of nutrition, structured around three working groups focusing on key areas: concepts and methodologies; organisation, capabilities, and funding; and external communication and public trust. This symposium will present an overview of the discussions and outputs from each group. Topics will include a critical examination of current methodologies used in human nutrition research, an exploration of the European landscape for research funding and education, strategies for more effective use of press releases to communicate research findings, and an update on the development of a nutrition-specific extension to the CONSORT reporting guidelines, including the process behind it and its implications for future research.

Symposium 4: Presenting a Nutrition Extension of the CONSORT Reporting Guidelines for Nutrition Randomised Controlled Trials

Chair: Doctor Jessica Rigutto-Farebrother
Date & Time: Thursday 28th August 2025 | 16:45–18:15
Room: 341

There is currently no specific CONSORT extension for reporting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in nutrition, which may negatively affect the quality of trial design, conduct, and reporting, ultimately weakening the evidence base in this field. In response, a subgroup of Working Group 3 from the FENS Presidential Activity on “Improving Standards in the Science of Nutrition” initiated discussions and conducted surveys, including DELPHI rounds, to identify the necessary components of a CONSORT-Nutrition extension. This effort progressed through collaboration with the EQUATOR Network, which supports the development of reporting guidelines. In this session, members of the Working Group and EQUATOR will present the development process, current status, and future direction of the CONSORT-Nutrition extension. The session will also include perspectives from a journal editor and explore how the guidance could become a “living” document that evolves over time. The workshop will be interactive, encouraging audience engagement, and will address the broader context of reporting guidelines and how the nutrition extension integrates within that landscape.