Stonyfield Farm Sponsors World Conference on Using Nutrition & Agriculture to Prevent Disease & Reduce Health Impact of Climate Change
On-Line Registration Still Open
Londonderry, NH Sept. 9 – The inaugural world conference on “Healthy Agriculture, Healthy Nutrition & Healthy People” (www.cgnh.net ) will focus on how nutrition and agriculture can prevent diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, and reduce the health impact of climate change. The lead sponsor of the conference, which is held in Ancient Olympia, Greece, Oct. 5-8, is Stonyfield Farm (www.stonyfield.com), the world’s leading organic yogurt company. The sponsorship is part of Stonyfield's 27-year mission for healthy food, healthy people & a healthy planet.
“The best nutritional choice for human health is also the best environmental choice for planetary health,” said Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield’s President & CE-Yo. “How governments can shape agricultural policy to support this is one of the critical questions this conference will cover.”
Conference participants include physicians, nutritionists, environmentalists, agricultural scientists, architects interested in urban development and urban architecture, policy makers and scientists from government, academia and industry. Countries represented include Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK, and the USA.
Organized by The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health (CGNH) for the World Council on Genetics, Nutrition and Fitness for Health, the conference is co-chaired by Artemis Simopoulos M.D., CGNH President (USA), and Ole Faergeman, M.D., DMSc (Denmark).
“We need to join together to reaffirm our commitment to the health and fitness of every world citizen,” said Dr. Simopoulos, author of the internationally acclaimed Omega Diet.”This conference seeks to bring about a change in both developed and developing countries so that government and the public will put greater emphasis on lifelong health and disease prevention through healthy agriculture, healthy diet and physical activity.”
Conference co-chair Dr. Faergeman explained, “Vector-borne infectious diseases, malnutrition, allergies and other diseases are expected to worsen as a result of global warming. Other diseases are not caused by global warming. Instead they share causes with global warming. Cardiovascular deaths and cancer deaths, for example, are associated with high intake of meat, and raising livestock for meat is also a major cause of global warming. Producing less meat and eating less meat will therefore reduce risk of both global warming and cardiovascular disease and cancer. A double whammy. Insights of this nature will form the basis for some of the discussions at this conference to help identify sustainable global solutions.”
The conference begins with a focus on the need for a balanced omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. After World War II, when people increased their intake of omega-6-rich processed foods, their ratio of omega 3 to omega-6 became imbalanced. As a result, preventable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression and cancer increased, even reaching epidemic levels.
Studies show that creating a more healthful balance between omega-3 (found in flax and fish oil) and omega-6 (found in vegetable oils such as corn, sunflower and soy oil) helps prevent disease. In the Stonyfield Greener Cow Program (being presented at the conference by French scientist Pierre Weill), feeding cows higher levels of omega-3 increased the nutritional value of their milk and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
“It is our hope that this conference will inspire policy makers to work with the scientific community and manufacturers to begin creating change now. We must start developing sustainable solutions that improve the health of our food supply, our people and our planet,” said Hirshberg.
As part of its proactive health initiative, Stonyfield has been working to improve the nutritional profile of its products. Two of its most recent organic yogurts feature omega-3: B-Healthy, which offers 20 % of the recommended daily value of omega-3 per serving; and YoToddler, which provides DHA, an omega-3 needed for normal brain development. Stonyfield also works on nutrition education outreach with Kate Geagan, M.S., R.D., Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN, and the American Dietetic Association’s Hunger and Environmental Nutrition diagnostic practice group.
Sessions at the conference will focus on: diets around the world, including the Chilean, Swedish, French and Mediterranean diets; prevention of diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as violent behavior, stress and mental health; and climate change and its impact on food, nutrition security and food safety in Turkey, Central Asia, Africa, China, South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Mediterranean basin; and urban agriculture.
The conference will culminate with a roundtable discussion chaired by Drs. Simopoulos and Faergeman. They will be joined by international policy, sustainability, nutrition and medical authorities in the development of a plan of action for securing healthy agriculture, nutrition and people worldwide.
For on-line registration and further information about the Inaugural Conference of the World Council on Genetics, Nutrition and Fitness for Health on “Healthy Agriculture, Healthy Nutrition, Healthy People,” contact The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, Suite 530, 2001 S Street, NW, Washington DC 20009, tel. 202 462-5062, or visit them on the web at www.cgnh.net .
About Stonyfield Farm
Stonyfield Farm, celebrating its 27th year, is the world's leading organic yogurt company. Its all natural and certified organic yogurt, smoothies, milk, cultured soy, frozen yogurt and ice cream are distributed nationally. The company advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet. Its use of organic ingredients helps keep over 180,000 farm acres free of toxic, persistent pesticides and chemical fertilizers known to contaminate soil, drinking water and food. To help reduce climate change, Stonyfield offsets all of the C02 emissions generated from its facility energy use. The company also started a nonprofit called Climate Counts (climatecounts.org) which shows people how they can help fight climate change by the way they shop and invest. Stonyfield also donates 10% of its profits to efforts that help protect and restore the Earth. For more information about Stonyfield Farm, its products and initiatives, visit www.stonyfield.com.
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