September 26 - 27, 2016

The First Annual Conference on Native American Nutrition was a milestone event in the growing movement to restore Native American health by reclaiming traditional diets and foodways and increasing access to nutritious food.

The conference was a collaboration between the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the University of Minnesota. It was organized by a planning committee of Native and non-Native scholars and practitioners led by the university’s Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute.

The conference brought together more than 450 Native leaders, academics, and public health workers to collaborate and integrate traditional, Indigenous knowledge and Western, scientific research in order to combat the significant dietary factors contributing to profound Native health disparities.

The sold-out conference featured more than 30 world-renowned Indigenous nutrition experts and included participants from 32 states, five countries, and dozens of tribes. A summary report, videos of the speeches, and other resources will be available on this website in the coming weeks. 

Presenting sponsors

SMSC
HFHL

Gold sponsors

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Bronze sponsors

Allina Health

Learning ZoneXpress

University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

University of Minnesota Department of Food Science and Nutrition

University of Minnesota Extension

University of Minnesota Medical School

University of Minnesota Office for Public Engagement

University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Additional sponsors

University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy

University of Minnesota Extension Center for Family Development

University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs

University of Minnesota Obesity Prevention Center

University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships