It was wonderful to connect with so many of you in person earlier this month in Nashville for the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo® (FNCE®)! This year’s event brought together more than 7,500 attendees from across the country and around the world. The energy, ideas and collaboration throughout the conference was inspiring, and excitement is already building for FNCE® 2026 in San Antonio, October 23 to 27.
If you were not able to join us in Nashville, I want to share a few highlights from my Opening Session remarks, and, I hope, a renewed sense of pride in what our profession is achieving together.
At its core, the Academy is, and always will be, the voice of the profession. Our recipe for success as RDNs and NDTRs requires us to combine our key ingredients – science, evidence and research – and work together to create something meaningful.
For clinicians, that means practice guidelines that strengthen care. For policymakers, it’s trusted guidance that shapes decisions affecting millions. And for the practitioners working in communities across the country, it's practical solutions that help people live healthier lives where they live, learn and work.
We keep our pantry stocked with proven evidence and fresh discoveries. We show how nutrition improves lives while reducing long-term health care costs. And we continue to make the case that our value must be recognized through fair payment and reimbursement that reflect our expertise and impact.
Innovation is also part of the recipe. Whether through telehealth, digital nutrition tools, or new care models, RDNs and NDTRs are redefining how nutrition is delivered. If we don't lead this innovation, others will, and that is why the Academy is helping ensure our profession remains at the center of these changes.
Our Strategic Plan serves as the profession's cookbook for the future, a resource built with member input to help every practitioner thrive.
This plan positions us for a future that is already beginning to take shape. Imagine a future where RDNs serve as Chief Nutrition Officers in hospital C suites. Where RDNs work with communities to create nutrition cooperatives that continue to thrive despite federal funding cuts. Where technology extends our reach so that personalized care is possible in the most remote areas. We are working to turn these ideas into reality.
At FNCE®, many of you joined the conversation on the Academy's advocacy and payment priorities. Our federal lobbying partner, BGR Group, shared updates on Medicare MNT expansion, telehealth reform and commercial payer strategy. The Policy and Payment Committee hosted a roundtable where members discussed reimbursement barriers and shared insights that will guide our work ahead.
These conversations are essential. Sustainable payment models are one of the key ingredients our profession needs to thrive. The Academy is working at both national and state levels through coding and payment policy initiatives to ensure nutrition care is valued, accessible and fairly compensated.
Our credentials matter. In a world crowded with misinformation, we lead with science and evidence. Through Nutrition Fact Check, National Nutrition Month® and our network of trained media spokespeople, the Academy is helping the public separate fact from fiction and positioning RDNs and NDTRs as the trusted nutrition experts they are. In addition, thank you to everyone who stopped by the Connection Corner at FNCE® and provided feedback on our upcoming communications campaign dedicated to shining a spotlight on the important work of RDNs and NDTRs – stay tuned for future updates!
We are leading coalitions, speaking up and ensuring that your voices influence how health, wellness and food policy are shaped across the nation. The work we do together not only strengthens our profession but also strengthens the public's trust in nutrition science itself.
Every member plays a role in this shared recipe and it's about more than food and science. It's about people, culture and connection. It is about a profession that leads with courage and compassion.
Together, we are stronger. Together, we will lead boldly. And together, we are building a bright, inclusive future for nutrition and dietetics.
Thank you for all you do every day to advance the profession and for being part of the Academy's ever-evolving recipe for success.
Deanne Brandstetter, MBA, RDN, CDN, FAND
President, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
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