Professor Alfredo Martínez Hernández, Full Professor of Nutrition at the University of Navarra, has been elected president-elect of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) for the period 2017-2021. Until then he will hold the position of vice-president of the institution, which encompasses all nutritionists worldwide (90 member countries) and is composed of 120 societies.

For the first time a Spaniard will occupy this position, an appointment that was announced during the XX International Nutrition congress that brought together more than 4,500 experts in Granada.

For Professor Martínez, who will take over the presidency from Ghana's Anna Lartey, this recognition means"responsibility, commitment and the possibility of Spanish nutrition being well represented in the global context".

According to him, his mission statement will consist of"promoting the importance of nutrition from a double perspective: the research and public health and, on the other hand, promoting the task forces ( work) of the IUNS", which includes academic activities, research initiatives, reports and regional meetings, with special emphasis on the creation of links between Africa, Asia and Latin America, and contributing to capacity building through the participation and the training of young researchers.

The existing task forces or areas of work include: harmonization of dietary recommendations, personalized nutrition, obesity and malnutrition, indigenous foods, global food composition tables, food biodiversity and nutrition leadership.

Professor Martínez Hernández will also be the top manager of the organization of the 2017 International Nutrition congress , which will be held in Buenos Aires (Argentina).