BEIC papers wins two top awards

Two educational papers sponsored by the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) have won prestigious awards from the nutrition profession.

’Recommendations for the use of eggs in the diet’, published in Nursing Standard, has won the annual award by the British Dietetic Association (BDA) for an educational resource; and the paper ’The nutritional properties and health benefits of eggs’, published in Nutrition & Food Science, has won an Outstanding Paper award at the publishing group Emerald’s Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2011.

Both papers were published last year as part of the BEIC’s campaign to ensure that health professionals were up-to-date with the latest health and nutrition news on eggs. Both papers were written by independent dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton.

Dr Ruxton was presented with the BDA’s Elizabeth Washington award at the BDA’s annual conference on 10 May. The Nursing Standard paper, part of the publication’s ’Learning Zone’ continuing professional development programme for nurses, covered all aspects of the use of eggs, to dispel confusion surrounding their consumption. Topics included the nutritional value of eggs; eggs as part of a healthy diet; cholesterol; and food safety.

The award for the Nutrition & Food Science paper, which prompted the christening of eggs as a ’superfood’ was described as ’one of the most impressive pieces of work’ the journal’s editorial team had seen throughout 2010.

"This is great news - not only for Dr Ruxton, but also for the UK egg industry, which has supported the communication of positive health messages about eggs for some years now," says BEIC Chairman Andrew Parker.

"We are proud to have gained the recognition of health professionals for these papers, which both provided a comprehensive summary of the evidence on all aspects of eggs and health.

"This award lends further support to the christening of eggs as a Superfood last year."