The Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS) 2026 Annual Conference

Sponsored Satellite Sessions

Halifax Nova Scotia
May 7-9, 2026

The Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS) delivers nutrition science and education through a variety of initiatives, including its Annual Conference.  All CNS education programming is reviewed and approved by respective CNS committees. As with all sector stakeholders, CNS considers and values industry partner engagement, including during its Annual Conference, while being committed to maintaining responsible and transparent processes with respect to support received from partners/sponsors.

CNS Sponsored Conference Satellite Sessions provide education opportunities for external groups, such as industry, commodity groups, or other relevant stakeholders, to showcase research findings and engage in dialogue with a dedicated nutrition science and practice community, including scientists, healthcare professionals, policy makers, other National Governing Organizations (NGOs), industry and trainees. 

Sponsored Satellite Sessions are considered part of the official CNS Annual Conference program, but clearly labelled as organized with sponsors. CNS does not endorse the content presented or their proceedings, publications, etc. CNS also clearly states during all education sessions that the views expressed by speakers are those of the speaker or third-party and not necessarily of CNS. 

Guidelines for Sponsored Satellite Sessions 

• Each speaker will be required to include a "Disclosures" slide in the presentation deck; each speaker must verbally mention these disclosures at the opening of the talk in a meaningful way.
• Research findings must not be shared for the purpose of promoting a specific brand/product. Any mention of specific brands/products must be discussed and approved by CNS in advance.
• Speakers/moderators must refrain from mentioning specific company names during a talk, panel discussion or Q & A period. Should a question be submitted that names a company or product, the question should be paraphrased or dismissed.
• Any materials developed by the sponsor to promote the conference session must be approved by CNS.
• Satellite session organizers assume full responsibility for copyright of all images contained within the presentations.
• Research being presented should be primarily from published research. If the research is not yet peer-reviewed, this should be clearly stated in the presentation and pre-approved by CNS.
• CNS will disseminate evaluations electronically following each conference. The evaluation will include the question “Did you perceive, or were you affected by, any commercial bias during the session.”
• CNS webinars, conference sessions, podcasts or other educational events will include the following disclaimer: The views expressed by speakers or other third parties in CNS webinars, events and/or conferences are those of the speaker or third-party and not necessarily of CNS.

Role of Session Chairs/Moderators

Session Chairs

Session Chairs play an important role in the smooth planning and delivery of sessions. CNS relies on Chairs to be fully engaged in the session planning and delivery. Session Chairs represent/coordinate the speakers and serve as CNS' main point of contact. The Planning Committee will choose Chairs for each session carefully and welcomes suggestions via the session proposals. Preference should be on identifying Chairs who are CNS members in good standing and will fully engage in:

• Supporting speakers in the development of their presentations, ensuring that the final presentations match the session title and description as it will appear in the conference program.
• Organizing and facilitating any planning meetings among speakers and/or CNS leading up to the Annual Conference. 
• Ensuring that all information and required materials are submitted by the stated deadlines (i.e., names/bios/photos, session descriptions, presentations, AV requirements, etc.).
• Confirming that each speaker has adequately included any disclosures/conflicts of interest in their presentation deck, and that each speaker will thoroughly present this information at the start of their talk.
• Confirming that all speaker presentations appropriately address the knowledge translation/take-away message requirements.
• Serve as a point of contact to CNS staff leading up to and during the conference.
• Moderate the Q and A period during the session.