Funded Projects

Projects Funded by IAFNS

The Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences catalyzes food safety and nutritional science for the benefit of public health. View projects* funded by IAFNS below.

The Scientific Basis of the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery

The NIH Toolbox for the Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function (NIH Toolbox) is a publicly available set of tests covering cognitive, sensory, motor, and emotional functions in human study participants. The tests are specifically designed for use in large […]

Investigation of the Relationship Between Live Dietary Microbe Intake and Health Outcomes, Using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES)

Research has shown that the consumption of live microbes, including and beyond probiotics, is associated with health benefits. Fermented foods, such as yogurt and kimchi, are rich in live bacteria and may help to promote a healthy gut microbiome and […]

Review of EU Novel Food submissions and US GRAS Petitions to identify opportunities for use of New Approach Methodologies for safety determinations of food substances

The risk assessment of some food substances have been shifting to adoption of a high-throughput, non-animal method strategy for demonstrating safety. These methods, along with new in vitro, in silico and powerful computer modeling tools, are collectively referred to as […]

Development of Nonpolar Liquid Antimicrobial Delivery Systems for Dry Sanitation

A sanitation program is a key component of a food processing facility’s food safety program and is a regulatory requirement for both FDA and USDA regulated products. Many sanitation programs utilize water and aqueous based sanitizers to control environmental pathogens. […]

Health and Functional Effects of Dietary Protein Beyond Protein Turnover

As food systems and consumer food preferences evolve toward replacing animal protein with alternative protein sources, it is imperative to understand the long-term health consequences. This project aims to prioritize research approaches and ultimately food decisions that take into consideration […]

Understanding and Advancing Best Practices for Human Nutrition & Gut Microbiome Research

In 2017, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) collaborated with the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) to develop and document “Considerations for Best Practices in Studies of Fiber or Other Dietary Components and the Intestinal Microbiome” […]

Understanding Adolescence as a Critical Period for Immediate and Long-term Cognitive Health Impact – Systematic Review

It is well-established that the prenatal period and infancy (the first 1000 days) are critical for cognitive development, and nutrition during these periods can impact cognitive performance later in life. Specific nutrients are therefore emphasized during pregnancy and infancy, to […]

Applying Retrospective Harmonization to the Field of Nutrition and Cognitive Health

The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) explored neurocognitive health through several systematic reviews and was faced with a literature having “considerable variation in testing methods, inconsistent validity and reliability of cognitive testing methods, and differences between dietary patterns […]

Opportunities and Challenges to Sodium Reduction in Food Service and Strategies to Foster Progress

The objective of this project is to document the outcomes of a dialogue with leaders from the food service sector, government, and academia to understand the challenges and opportunities related to sodium reduction in the food service sector. This work […]

IAFP 2024

The Food Microbiology Committee is proud to have supported the following sessions at the 2024 International Association for Food Protection’s Annual Meeting’s Annual Meeting. Roundtable on Establishing Clean Breaks- Hygienic Separation of Production in Low Water Activity Foods Expand Conversations […]

Reconciliation of Differences between Observational Studies and Randomized Controlled Trials: A Case Study on Low Calorie Sweeteners

Scientific evidence is commonly categorized into levels based on quality of evidence, commonly referred to as the hierarchy of evidence. The complexity of evaluating study quality based on study design becomes problematic for dietary exposures and health outcomes with conflicting […]

Understanding Authoritative Decisions Around Selection and Validation of Cognitive Performance Measures – with a Focus on Nutrition-Related Research

The objective of this project is to document the outcomes of an expert roundtable with the goal to understand decisions and approaches that underlie cognitive assessment tool selection by authoritative groups. This effort aims to enable the advancement of evidence […]

*Projects from 2013 and later are included in this repository. To view projects supported by IAFNS prior to 2013, please visit our Peer-Reviewed Publications page.