Current Health and Science Challenges
ILSI South Africa has identified three health and health science challenges important to the southern African region.
Water Quality: Across the global, access to adequate and safe water for human consumption and industrial use is a growing concern with the southern African region being no exception. ILSI South Africa will be an active partner with other ILSI entities, which agreed in January 2010 to collaborate on common interests related to water.
Watch for program details to come soon.
Food Security: Drought, persistent poverty, and disease (particularly AIDS and tuberculosis) contribute to inadequate and expensive food supplies.
Poor Diet: Unbalanced diets - malnutrition and overconsumption - lead to chronic health conditions.
Sports Nutrition and Hydration: 2010
ILSI South Africa is organising an international workshop on sports nutrition and hydration, to be held 21 - 23 April 2010. The purpose is to bring together all those in sport, academia, industry and government interested in improving their knowledge in respect of important food and hydration factors that impinge on sport performance and the long term health of sports men and women.
Program and registration details are available here: Sports Nutrition and Hydration
Pre-Codex Workshop: Fibre and Micronutrient Recommendations
ILSI South Africa worked with ILSI North America and ILSI Europe to organize a workshop on current fiber definitions, physiological benefits, and analytical methods; dietary oils and their health effects; and the approach and progress on the harmonization of European micronutrient recommendations project (EURRECA). This event was held in November 2008 in conjunction 30th Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses.
Program and copies of the workshop presentations are available here: Pre-Codex Workshop
Biotechnology
ILSI South Africa has for a number of years participated in the biennial South African Nutrition Congress – the objective being to help nutritionists and dietitians better understand food science and, equally, to help food scientists learn more about nutrition.
In September 2008 the branch arranged for Prof Bruce Chassy, University of Illinois, to present an introductory lecture to the Congress in Pretoria entitled "Green Revolution to Gene Revolution - Foods from Modern Biotechnology" as part of a food science session arranged by SAAFoST, the South African Association for Food Science and Technology, within the Congress proper.
Prof Chassy, together with Prof Jennifer Thomson from the University of Cape Town, then conducted a half day workshop on the subject of Nutritionally Enhanced Foods from Modern Biotechnology. Many of the materials used in the workshop were from the ILSI Food Biotech Committee (IFBiC) workshops on the same or similar subjects. The audience included mainly scientists in the biotech and food science communities as well as nutritionists/dietitians.
In addition, Prof Chassy gave a lecture to the local branch of SAAFoST and was subsequently guest lecturer at a lunch time semi-public lecture at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town.
Outcome: These events increased awareness within the greater nutrition arena of what biotechnology-derived foods are and are not, as well as helped foster an awareness of both opportunities (e.g. improved/altered nutritional composition) and challenges (e.g. safety assessment) that exist from foods that are the nutritionally-enhanced through biotechnology.