The Nutrition Economics Special Interest Group is dedicated to health economic evaluations of Medical Food (MF) and Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP) and developing scientific methodologies and approaches for studying nutrition economics more broadly. Over the past several years, the SIG has completed two collaborative papers: the first was a scoping review of medical nutrition terminology and regulations in Europe and the United States, which found extensive inconsistencies across countries in terminology used and a dearth of economic evaluations to inform the adoption of FSMP. The second paper took a broad look at coverage and reimbursement policies for FSMP across 14 countries in four continents. Despite the importance of medical nutrition for the management of malnutrition and nutrition-related disorders and conditions, substantial variation exists in the regulatory policies government reimbursement and coverage across the world. The Nutrition Economics Special Interest Group has identified four areas for research and policy: (1) inequities in reimbursement across settings, particularly in the outpatient and community settings; (2) inconsistencies in the medical conditions eligible for reimbursement across countries and settings; (3) the disconnect between clinical guidelines and reimbursement; and (4) lack of health technology assessment to inform coverage and reimbursement decisions

This Forum session will delve into the high-priority areas for research and policy and highlight the SIG’s new key project, Role of Nutrition in Older Adults: A Systematic Literature Review of Health Economic Evaluation Studies. Additionally, the Forum will discuss opportunities for future collaborations related to the economics of medical nutrition and non-medical nutrition to improve societal health. The session will wrap up with a discussion about other key SIG activities for the coming year.