A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize a public workshop to explore how existing and emerging science, technology, policy, and innovation could be applied toward making foods and diets more healthful. The workshop will examine the scientific basis for food attributes (beyond nutrients) that are now part of the consideration set of foods’ healthfulness, such as processing, food additives, sensory responses, isolated food components and their combinations, and nutrient density. Discussions may:

• address the challenges of how to substantiate and consider the role of food components beyond nutrients for characterizing the healthfulness of foods and related dietary patterns;
• review evidence on and challenges surrounding technologies to produce the next generation of more healthful foods and diets, considering constraints and potential opportunities within current and emerging food systems;
• consider the role of sensory science and consumer behavior and how they might provide opportunities for developing more healthful foods and food policy in the future; and
• explore the role of consumer perceptions of what characterizes foods they consider to be healthful including issues around trust and effective communication strategies about new and current food technologies.

The planning committee will define the specific topics to be addressed, develop the workshop agenda, and select and invite speakers and discussants. A proceedings of a workshop of the presentations and discussions at the workshop will be prepared by a designated rapporteur in accordance with institutional guidelines.