TRUSTEE ANNUAL REPORT Period.. I January- 31 December 2023 Charity Number: 1185514 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES The Object5 The objects of the Academy are 'to improve public health and well-being by supporting research, education and associated activities which advance the knowledge and application of evidence-based nutrition science. Charitable Purposes for Publlc Beneflt As a charity the Academy must have aim5 that f311 within the descriptions of charitable purposes Set out in the Charities Act 2006. The charitable purposes of the Academy in pursuit of its objects are: The advancement of health The advancement of science The advancement of anlmal welfare The Trustees have complied wlth the duty in s.17 of the Charitie5 Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's published general and relevant sub-sector guidance concerning the operatlon of the public benef it requirerllent under that Act. The benef iciaries are considered to be.. Members of the Academy.. Membership of the Academy is open to organisations only. Currently there are 4 members: the Association for Nutrition,. British Dietetic Association,. the British Nutrition Foundation,. The Nutrition Society. The Academy plans to open membership to other organisations who are interested in furthering the Academy's objects in 202415. Through these organisations the Academy can significantly extend its public benefit. Humanity= All people ber)efit from the scientific advice given to government departments, public agencies, the scientific community and the food industry,. arhd from the dissemination of nutritional science. Examples include the Academy publishing position papers, participating in relevant public consultations, and scientific conference5.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Introductlon and Foundation The Academy of Nutrition Sciences is a joint Inltlative between the Association for Nutrition IAfNI, the British Dietetic Association IBDAI, the British Nutrition Foundation IBNFI and thE Nutrition Society, established in October 2019 to.. 'Improve public heolth (Jnd wellbeing by supporting excellence in research, education and asSOCffOted activities to advance the knowledge and application of evidence-bcFsed nutrition science.. This object will be furthered, in collaboration with both the founding member organis8tions and additional new member organisations, through common goals and collectSve activities. The focus will be in four main areas.. Leadership The Academy will provide a collectlve voice to engage with stakeholders in the area of nutrition and dietetics, including government and industry. It will also work with partner organisations to ensure publicly available nutrition and diet advice is evidence-based. Communication, Education and Truinlng The Academy will champion nutrition science in evidence-ba5ed policy making and as a subject in education at all levels. The Academy will also promote education, training, information and guidance and advocate for greater nutrition education for medical students. Stakeholder Relationships The Academy will champion research, knowledge transfer and public engagement in the nutrition field. The Academy will champion the public's greater awareness of the importance of properly regulated nutritionists and dietitians with suitable qualifications and experience. Advancing the Rese(Jrch Agenda The Academy will develop a concordat for funders and universities about what constitutes rigorous and ethically sound research in the nutrition field. 2023 Activities Governance and Strategy Throughout 2023, the fourth year of 8Ctivities for the Academy, the trustees met on G occasions to transact Academy business. The strategic plan, following consultatlon with the member organisations, was completed in 2021. It contains the following.. Vision.. To be an authoritative voice advancing and promoting evidence-based nutrition Science.
Mission.. To champion nutrltlon science, enhancing its impact on policy and health for public benefit. Three Strategic Priorities.. l. Promoting collaboratlon and partner5hips'. 11.11 Promote collaborations between the ANS member organisations. (1.21 Promote external collaborations by developing and maintaining working relationships with appropriate partners 11.31 Establish a collaborativE model to enable wider membership of the Academy 2. In*luencing science and policy: 12.11 Influence nutrition311y-relevant pollcies at national and international levels by hlghlightin£ issues in nutrition science and encouraging action to address them 12.21 Promote nutrition science research for the public benefit and actively engage wSth groups determining nutrltion policy 12.31 Improve the representatlon of nutrition science on research strategy groups and funding pane15, and actively engage in discu55ioris to help shape funding calls 12.41 Publish position papers that promote and champion evidence- based nutrition science and to make recommendation5 that inform policy and practice 3. Developing ofganisational resilience,, 13.11 Determine operational priorities for action and desSred outcomes within the strategic plan 13.21 Develop a financial plan to enable stability and growth 13.31 Extend membership of ANS to Societies and organis8tions which satisfy the membership criteria 13.4) Encourage extension of Academy activities through task and finish group 13.51 Develop and implement a communicatlons strategy to raise the profile of the Academy's worl(. Position Papers and Consultatlons The Academvs third position paper was accepted for publication by the British Journal of Nutrition Sn November 2023 land published in January 20241. The paper was titled 'Evidence for Nutrition Interventions for Individuals, The paper exarrTrined how evidence Is used to
guide individualised nutrition interventions. An edltorial highlightinE the recommendations of the position paper was submitted for publication and plans are in place for publicising this and the previous position papers in 2024. In April 2023, a short article was published on the Academvs website entitled The Importance of Transparent Frameworks for the Assessment of Evidence. As well as flagging the Academy's own p051tion papers, the article highlighted SACN'5 framework and method5 for evaluation of evidence. In May 2023 the Academy, commenting in a 'perspective' on its website (titled 'ls the focus on environment sustainability risking delivery of micronutrient adequacy?,) on a new analysis led by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, and a new report from the Food and Agriculture Qrganisation of the United Nations, suggested there is an urgent need to consider huTman nutrition in tandem with strategies to transform food systems to manage environmental impacts. In June 2023, a further 'perspective' titled 'Understanding ultra processed foods and human health.. a journey without a plan?,, was published on the Academy's web51te. The 'perspectiVE' considered the risk of unintended dietary consequences of premature policy concerning UPFS is high, glven that the classification system itself has been widely crlticised for failure to discriminate foods that contribute beneficial nutrition from those that do not, and the proposed rnechani5ms involved are multiple and mostly under-investigated. It suggested the solutions will not be found in repetitive association studies but may require a strategic approach to funding of ntitrition research that is currently lacking in the UK, In July 2023 the Academy welcomed, through a 'perspective' puhlished on Its website, the thorough and comprehensive statement on processed food5 and health from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition ISACNI, which concluded that the observed associations between higher consumption of (ultra-l processed foods and adverse health outcomes need to be treated with caution owing to lirnitations in the NOVA classiflcation system, the potontial for confounding, and the possibility that the observod adverse assuciations are covered by existing dietary recommendations. The SACN statement also highlighted the lack of evidence about the mechanismlsl via which processed foods might adversely affect health and the need for good-quality randomised controlled trlals that may help establish potential mechanisms, and establish whether they are independent of energy density or other dietary factors. This recommendation is aligned with the June 2023 'perspective' from the Academy. In July 2023 the Academy a150 PLAblished a short article on its website highlighting the SACN report on feeding young children aged 1-5 years. Internal Poll¢y Development The internal focus of the Academy during 2023 saw the continued development of it5 communications strategy and capacity. The Academy is extremely grateful for the volunteer asslstance provided by a number of indlviduals and the support from its Member Organi5ations.
An important policy development saw a revised structure to its communications. Four 'themes' were agreed by the Trustees and Member Organisations to better clarify the communication output5. The four are.. 'Outcomes and Activities.. The Academy's posltion paper5. 'Perspectives': The Academy'5 Comment5 on worklactions of other organisations and indSviduals. 'Collaboratlons and Partnerships,; Communlcations whlch publicise the output/actions of Academy partnerships and eollaborations 'Opportunities': Publlcise nutrition science activities of the Academy's Member Organisations, In addition, the Academy trustees, in conjunction with its Member Organis8tions, developed and agreed a policy for the category of 'perspectives' articles that has the aim of encouraging debate or reflection on potentially controversial issues, focusing on the strength of the evidence base underpinnirsg these issues. Unlike its Position Papers, such articles do not necessarily present an official opinion of the Academy or its Member Organisation5. Finally, the Trustees completed its development of the By-Law and processes for the assessment and approval/rejection of applications for new Member Organisatlons. It is intended to seek new Members in 2024125. FINANCIAL REVIEW Income and Expenditure The seed funding provided by the 4 member organisations in 2020 Itotal of £20,000) was designed to allow sufficient time for the Academy to develop a member fee structure and annual budget. A methodology for the calculation of annual memhership fees was agreed bv tru5tee5 in 2022, and is based on a combination of the operational fiscal requirements of the Academy, and the relative gros5 Income of the member organisations Ito establish a membership band system). In 2023 the Academy recorded membership income of£2,062. In addition, interest was received from the Academy's bank totalling £34. On the expense slde administrative costs during 2023 totalled £1,010, primarily the costs of developing an independent cloud-based records system. The resulting total fund5 for the Academy on 31 December 2D23 were recorded as £16,83012022 £15,744). Policy for Holding Reserves The free reserves are defined a5 f Ljnds that are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees, The Trustees have included in the reserves the cash and bank balances held for the day to day busines5 reqLJirements of the Academy. It is the intention of the Trustees to build a reserve fund sufficient to ensure the Academy can continue to operate, should revenues be reduced, for a minimum period of one year,
Risk Management The main areas of risk that have been identified by the Trustees are: damage to the Academy's reputation through adverse publicity,. signlflcant loss of member organisations,. financial losse5 through fraud or loss of income. In these cases, preventative measures and financial controls have been agreed and established and the Trustees have implemented procedures for the Secretariat reportin8 internal control failures immediately to the Trustees, together with details of corrective actlon being taken. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Introductlon The governing document is the Constitution as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, dated 9 May 2019. How the Academy is ConstitLEted The Academy's governing body is the Trustee Board, which has 9 members. Three Trustees undertake the duties of Chair, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer. The Trustees exercise all the powers of the Academy, subject to the provisions of the charity laws currently in force ar)d with the assistance and advice of an Operational Support Group and a Secretariat. The Operational Support Group compri5e5 of the CEOS of the 4 founding member organis3tion5. The Secretariat provides admlnistrative services, at no cost, to the Academy, The Secretariat is hosted by the Nutrition Society, one of the founding member organisations. In addition, there are from time-to-time, sub-committees and working group5 reporting to the Trustees on specialist areas of the Academy'5 activities. With these arrangements in place, the Trustees at all times have a detailed knowledge of the business being transacted by the Academy. Methods Used to Appoint Trustees Procedures for election for Trustee posts are in place. When nomination5 are needed they wlll be sought, as proscribed in the Constitution, from the membership and through advert151ng on the website to which members, attention is drawn by personal email alerts. Trustees will be elected by decision of the members at the annual general meeting. The Constitution, containing the appointment of trustees, procedure, is available on the Academvs website. New Trustees receive an induction pack and guidance from the Trustees, An induction meeting is held with the Head of the Secretariat to ensure that the Incoming Trustees have the opportunity ask questlons about policy and actions of the board so that they can take up their dutie5 Wlth clear understanding of the current positlon of the Academy. In addition, all new tf ustees will attend within their first 6 months in post an external governance training workshop.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS The name.. The Academy of Nutrition Sciences Charity registration number.. It is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, number 1185514 Address of the principal office and address of the reglstered office.. Boyd Orr House, 10 Cambridge Court, 210 Shepherds Bush Road, London W6 7NJ The Trustees at 31 December 2023 Professor Judy Buttriss- Chair Professor Chri5tSne William5 Professor Kevin Whelan Profe55or Julie Lovegrove Dr Fran1< Thies- Honorary Secretary & Treasurer Dr Fiona Mccullough Dr Margaret Ashwell Dr Adrian Brown Dr Tara Cuppinger Bankers: Charitie5 Aid Foundation ICAFI. CAF Bank, 25 King5 Hlll Avenue, Kings Hill, West MaS1ing, Kent ME19 4JQ Byor r of the Trustees Mark Holllngsworth, Secretarv Approved by the Trustees 13 May 2024.