At this year’s IUNS International Congress of Nutrition in Paris, FENS hosted four packed symposia that really captured the energy of the meeting. With standing-room-only crowds and lively discussions, each session highlighted topics of importance for FENS: advancing research quality, sustainable diets, and data-driven innovation. 

Symposium 1: Deciphering Complexity in Human Nutrition Data 

Chaired by Professor Sladjana Sobajic, this session spotlighted the new tools reshaping how we study diet and health—from loyalty card data to metabolomics. Speakers shared both the exciting potential and the real challenges of using digital data to inform future nutrition policy. 

Symposium 2: Safeguarding the Mediterranean Diet 

Professor Jacques Delarue led this symposium, building on the MedDiet Task Force’s efforts to reverse declining adherence. Proposals discussed included a voluntary code of conduct and a unified adherence score—practical steps to protect the Mediterranean Diet’s cultural and nutritional heritage in the face of societal changes and growing ultra-processed food consumption. 

Symposium 3: FENS Presidential Activity on Research Standards

Chaired by Professor Philip Calder, this session presented the outcomes of a multi-year FENS initiative to strengthen nutrition science. From funding landscapes to methodological reform, the discussion tackled how we can raise standards, improve transparency, and build greater public trust—alongside progress on a nutrition-specific CONSORT extension. 

Symposium 4: Towards CONSORT-Nutrition 

Dr. Jessica Rigutto-Farebrother led an interactive workshop on developing a CONSORT extension tailored to nutrition RCTs. With input from the EQUATOR Network and journal editors, the session emphasised rigour, transparency, and the opportunity to create a “living” guidance document that evolves with the science.