The American Dietetic Association announced at the Annual Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo in San Diego this weekend that beginning January 2012 they will have a new name – The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The new name hopes to encompass the focus of its members which is “the nutritional well-being of the American public,” said current ADA president Sylvia Escott-Stump.
She went on to say that by including the word academy, it “…immediately emphasizes the educational strength of our advice and expertise” and by including nutrition in the name, “we communicate our capacity for translating nutrition science into healthier lifestyles for everyone.”
I am anxiously awaiting the response from members and critics over the next couple of weeks. The Twitter-verse has already demonstrated mixed opinions, confusion, and criticism and I can only imagine that it is a main topic of conversation at the expo this weekend. While some believe the name change is merely a band-aid to a larger problem, others believe it more accurately represents the nutrition profession.
My opinion is that this new name will help those outside the nutrition profession to better understand what the association represents, however only time will tell if the name change is effective in garnering that result. What matters to me is that the association works to be the trusted voice of food and nutrition information. Maybe this name change will help in continuing in that effort.
And some personally exciting news, I have been accepted to the Nutrition Blog Network! Please note the new badge to the left of the page. This network is home to blogs written by registered dietitians, so you know you can trust the information you read. It is powered by dietitians with the support of Weber Shandwick. Use this database as your go-to for accurate and up-to-date nutrition information.
I am proud to be a part of the Nutrition Blog Network. Thank you to Janet Helm, MS, RD and Lori Fromm, MS, RD for the acceptance!
Eat Well.Feel Well,
Allison
September 28, 2011 at 12:26 am
Congrats on being accepted to the nutrition blog network, great news! Lots of interesting debate over the name change this weekend. I believe it’s a positive change and hope that it will lead to further changes to modernize the organization. As you said, only time will tell!