Trends is a proprietary system developed by Dairy Council of California to track, monitor and elevate trends impacting nutrition research and education, policy and systems, consumer behavior, food innovation and more. Led by its nutrition science team, Trends curates, develops and shares important and emerging issues through its Trends newsletter, issued every fall and spring. Shared with stakeholders, the newsletter communicates and informs on trending issues, as well as areas for future consideration, helping bridge to current research to make issues for maximum relevance.  

Trends Spring 2020 offers insight into the importance of nutrition education and healthy eating patterns, the benefits of prioritizing overall diet quality and early nutrition intervention to promote lifelong good health, and the impact of food technology, innovation and marketing on diet quality and health. Nutrition education is needed more than ever across the lifespan to ensure people are equipped with adequate knowledge to help them choose healthy foods and establish lifelong healthy eating habits.

Learn more about the key findings in Trends Spring 2020 in our three-part blog series:

• Nourishing the Whole Child. Healthy eating patterns during pregnancy and through childhood can positively impact lifelong health. Starting with conception, the first 1,000 days are a unique period when the foundations for optimal health, physical growth and neurodevelopment are established.
• The Importance of Diet Quality. Emerging research indicates overall diet quality matters more than the amounts of single nutrients or calories consumed. Consumption of whole, minimally processed foods contributes to a higher quality diet and provides a package of nutrients, microbes and bioactive components that work together to enhance health benefits.
• Food Technology, Innovation and Marketing. There is a rapid rise of innovation by food companies that is driven by consumers’ demand for food products that align to shifting personal values and taste, which offer convenience, variety and potential health benefits. However, not all food innovations live up to their marketing hype.

To read the full publication or learn more about Trends Spring 2020 click here.