One of the blocks of the conference program was devoted to children’s nutrition, eating habits and peculiarities of eating behavior of children with autism. It is known that children with ASD are very selective in nutrition and often prefer foods with high carbohydrate content. Thus, they often lack vitamins D, B12, C, calcium, and zinc. The deficiency of nutrients has a negative effect on health.

Natalia Vyacheslavovna Ustinova, M.D., Head of the Department of Social Pediatrics and Organization of Multidisciplinary Care of the Research Institute of Pediatrics and Child Health Protection of Scientific and Clinical Center No. 2 of the Federal State Budgetary Research Institution “Russian Scientific Center of Surgery named after Academician B.V. Petrovsky”, Chief Research Fellow of the G.E. Sukhareva Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health of Children and Adolescents of the Department of Health of the City of Moscow, member of the Editorial Board of the medical journal “Issues of Modern Pediatrics”, member of the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, member of the Board and Editorial Board of the International Society of Social Pediatrics (ISSOP). In her speech, Natalia raised issues related to the diet, food neophobia and the food repertoire of children with ASD, and also talked about healthy habits and trends in the field of baby food that may be relevant for children with autism.

Within the framework of the event, PROGRESS JSC introduced the brand of healthy baby food new for the region to international participants at its conference stand. The stand presented products for the nutrition of young children under the FrutoNanny brand, as well as information materials for parents and pediatricians. Great interest was aroused by products without added sugar and products for young children. The participants not only got acquainted with the products and held a tasting, but also received gifts with samples.

This year the conference was held in a hybrid format — online sessions and offline presentations, and gathered more than 2,000 participants from all over the world in the capital of the United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi.