PRESS RELEASE: Wednesday 23 July 2014, ACCRA, GHANA

A new, free to use, global nutrition training platform – the eNutrition Academy – was launched at the sixth African Nutrition Epidemiology Conference (ANEC VI) in Ghana today.

The eNutrition Academy (eNA) is a global charitable organisation. It has been created to help teach nutrition science to a new generation of nutritionists around the world free of charge; especially in parts of the world where people are most at risk of malnutrition such as Africa, South Asia and South America. The eNA is backed by five founding partners: the African Nutrition Society (ANS), American Society for Nutrition (ASN), Federation of African Nutrition Societies, International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) and the Nutrition Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Chair of the eNA Board of Trustees, Professor Catherine Geissler said:

“This is an exciting initiative that I am delighted to support. The eNutrition Academy will initially offer its online courses in Africa where there is an urgent need for capacity building. We aim to expand our operations to Asia and South America in the next few years.

“Understanding and applying nutrition science can have a significant, positive impact on public health and the huge global problems we face around malnutrition and obesity. Qualified nutritionists and dietitians have a major role to play in policy making, healthcare, education, agriculture and food manufacturing.

“Our aim is to help a new generation of highly trained nutritionists and food scientists to work with their governments, health care professionals and industry to give millions of people better quality food and better lives.”

Working in partnership with local universities and colleges, the eNA will support undergraduates, postgraduates and those already in work seeking continuous professional development. The eNA is looking for more partners worldwide, especially academics and lecturers willing to share their time and materials to support its online library of courses.

The first eNA course – Assessment of Dietary Intake for Individuals – is being launched as a pilot for testing. Other courses will follow in due course.

Notes for Editors
1. The eNutriton Academy is a charity registered in the UK. It is funded by its five founding partners: the African Nutrition Society (ANS), American Society for Nutrition (ASN), Federation of African Nutrition Societies, International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) and the Nutrition Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

2. Secretariat support is provided by the Nutrition Society for the UK and Ireland.

3. The eNA was launched at the sixth African Nutrition Epidemiology Conference (ANEC VI) in Accra, Ghana. This year, ANEC VI focussed on the theme of Food and Nutrition Security in Africa: New Challenges for Sustainability.

4. There is a range of career opportunities for nutritionists, offering professional, evidence-based information and guidance in the areas of Nutrition Science, Public Health nutrition, Food Nutrition, Sports and Exercise Nutrition and Animal Nutrition. Qualified nutritionists may work in academia or industry doing scientific research. Many work in partnership with medical professionals and health policy-makers on public health issues, or as independent consultants.

5. Professor Catherine Geissler Chairs a Board of ten eNutrition Academy Trustees drawn from each of the founding partner organisations. Professor Geissler is also President of the Nutrition Society for UK and Ireland, and Secretary General of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS).
6. More information about the work of the eNutrition Academy can be found on the web at www.enutritionacademy.com