Nutrition Policy Institute director and cooperative extension specialist, Lorrene Ritchie, will be attending and presenting at the seventh annual International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity annual conference in Auckland, New Zealand, June 11-14, 2025. The theme of the conference is "Manaaki taiao, manaaki tāngata, manaaki meake nei," and when translated into English from Maori—the language of New Zealand’s indigenous population—it means “Take care of the environment, take care of the people, take care of the future.” Ritchie presents on research related to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children in a Thursday, June 12, 2025, 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. symposium titled, “Exploring inequities, diet quality, and obesity in early childhood using two national, longitudinal studies in New Zealand and the United States.” Ritchie's talk is titled, “Longer participation in a nutrition assistance program predicts higher diet quality but not better weight outcomes in low-income children ages 2 to 5 years old in the U.S.” She will also present a short oral presentation in a Thursday, June 12, 2025, 2:15 – 3:30 pm session titled “Implementation and Scalability in Young People.” Ritchie’s talk is titled, “Transition to freshly-prepared school lunches and reusable serviceware in elementary schools: impacts on meal appeal, student participation, intake, food and packaging waste and school finances.”
