Providing Healthy and Safe Foods As We Age Workshop Summary (2010) / Chapter Skim
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7 Future Challenges and Solutions to Providing Healthy and Safe Foods to Aging Populations
7 Future Challenges and Solutions to Providing Healthy and Safe Foods to Aging Populations
Pages 139-152
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From page 139... ...
, Bethesda, Maryland; Johanna Dwyer, Senior Nutrition Scientist in the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, and Director of the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts; Jean Lloyd, National Nutritionist, Administration on Aging, U.S.
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From page 140... ...
and the lack of sufficient population-level data for conducting that research; • the likelihood that the scope of some food safety and nutrition related problems in aging populations may be underestimated as a result of insufficient data; • the need to more carefully consider the food safety and nutrition needs of the 85-and-over population, such as the diet quality of as sisted living facility residents; • the need for a stronger infrastructure and better nutrition services for older adults relying on home- or community-based care systems, particularly given that the "baby boom bubble" is moving across time and the 65 to 90 age group soon will represent a large propor tion of the U.S. population; • the need to reconsider the definition of an optimal diet for older adults, given changes in both physiology and eating habits; • the need for more research on genetic variability and the potential importance of individualized nutrition (i.e., making dietary decisions based on genetic make-up)
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From page 141... ...
With other issues, participants expressed varying opinions. PANEL DISCUSSION The Most Important and Urgent Issues Gendel initiated the panel discussion with a deliberately unfocused question.
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From page 142... ...
She said that she was par ticularly concerned with the 85-and-over population. She has been examining assisted living facilities for the past several years, and her research results have not been reassuring with respect to food safety.
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From page 143... ...
For example, most home- and community-based care systems do not have nutrition education components as Dwyer also mentioned. Like regulation of assisted living facilities, regula tion of home- and community-based care is very fragmented, with different states imposing different sets of regulations.
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From page 144... ...
Complicating the problem is the fact that many older adults are unlikely to present with classic foodborne illness symptoms; in fact, they are more likely to present with confusion or other atypical symptoms. Also, older adults tend not to complain and do not like to discuss incontinence, diarrhea, and other similar problems with their physicians.
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From page 145... ...
She said, "I see enormous opportunity for the food industry to be part of the solution, but it won't happen unless we work very closely together." As just one example of how the food industry could contribute, she described a new community, Mill City Commons, forming in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where 50 to 55 year old empty nesters are moving into apartments downtown, close to the river, and are making provisions/plans to support themselves when they grow older and are in need of assistance. General Mills sees itself as a potential provider of foods for this type of "creative solution." Lloyd remarked that Mill City Commons is an example of a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC)
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From page 146... ...
She emphasized the need to develop the home- and community-based older adult care system so that it becomes more "coherent." She said that while the program in Boston's Beacon Hill is wonderful, there is no easily accessible comparable program in the Boston neighborhood where she lives. Lack of a coherent infrastructure poses a tremendous challenge for family members and others who are suddenly faced with the need to care for a parent or other older adult.
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From page 147... ...
She said that General Mills and other companies are working hard to reduce sodium levels in foods and that sodium reduction efforts represent an area where industry, scientists, and regulators need to work together. Efforts at General Mills are predicated on the assumption that the best way to reduce sodium is in relatively slow, small steps done in a "stealth way." Announcing that sodium is being reduced sets up consumers for expectations that may not be true.
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From page 148... ...
This remark prompted Lloyd to suggest that state dietetic associations learn more about how decisions are made regarding the nutrition aspects of stateprovided home- and community-based older adult care services and become more involved in that process. The Challenge of Reducing Sodium Intake Pelchat remarked that she appreciated the panelists' comments about sodium and stated that familiarity plays a large role in how much salt people like in their food.
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From page 149... ...
Crockett remarked that at a previous Food Forum workshop on sodium reduction, several suggestions were made about possible ways that consumer behavior data could be shared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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From page 150... ...
. Given the increasing variety of microwaveable foods and the convenience and ease of using a microwave oven to heat food, the potential arises for inadequately cooked food, which has possible food safety implications.
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From page 151... ...
Balancing Conflicting Messages About Food Safety vs. Nutrition An audience member commented on how nutrition experts usually advise consumers to eat more fruits and vegetables, as a way to reduce their risk of chronic disease, while food safety experts express concern about foodborne disease originating from consumption of those very same foods (e.g., E
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