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.

Framework for Defining Suitable Recycled Resin Based on Intended End-Use and Characterizing Potential Chemicals of Concern

Changes in consumer behavior and growth in convenience foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products complicates the use of recycled materials by requiring sophisticated and complex multilayer packaging solutions and increasing the amount of packaging waste. Many packaging materials, such as multilayer […]

Development of a Human Whole-Stool Reference Material – NIST Collaboration

Over the past 10+ years, it has become evident that the human gut microbiome plays a critical role in a vast and disparate set of health and disease states; including diabetes, obesity, cancer and depression. To identify new biomarkers that […]

Translation of Consumer-Articulated Cognitive Benefits to Validated Research Tools

The degree to which the outcomes measured by cognitive performance tests are aligned with outcomes of interest to consumers has not been documented. Consumer needs are expressed through specific terms that are meaningful to them. For example, terms commonly […]

Protein Quality Measurement Approach in North America

Protein quality has not been an issue in North America populations in the recent past due to the quantity and quality of protein consumed. However, as food sources shift, quality of protein may become a more important consumer decision factor […]

Guiding Principles for Funding Food Science and Nutrition Research

With the limited availability of funds from federal agencies, nongovernmental sources of funding – including industry – play a critical role in offering new opportunities for advancement and innovation in food and nutrition research. While bias can present itself in […]

Comparison of Food Category Contributors to Sodium Intake from Stores vs. Restaurants

The FDA released the final voluntary sodium reduction guidance in 2021. The targets presented are applicable to both consumer packaged goods and prepared/restaurant foods. Research indicates that the sodium contribution of restaurant foods is greater than that of foods consumed […]

Heavy Metals in US Foods: Exposure Assessment by Age Group and Mitigation Strategies

Heavy metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) have the potential to cause neurocognitive impairment to infants and young children who are exposed to them in their diets. These elements can also cause chronic toxicological […]

A Framework for Heavy Metal Prioritization and Mitigation for Reducing Metal Intake: Rice and Spinach Case Studies

Rice is a significant source of arsenic and other elemental toxins (e.g. mercury and cadmium) to the human diet, particularly in foods for babies and young children. Spinach is a significant source of the highly toxic metals Cd and […]

The Scientific Basis of Communicating Carbohydrate Quality

A workshop was convened jointly with Diabetes Canada to advance the dialogue between scientists and regulatory experts on science-based indices that can be used in communicating physiologic effects of carbohydrates in foods. Experts agreed that the carbohydrate quality of a […]

Standing Committee on Bioactive Recommendations

Growing evidence suggests that lutein for vision and flavan-3-ols for cardiovascular disease could be candidates for quantified recommended intakes. In 2014, Elwood et al. pointed out the challenges and suggested that a framework be developed to recommend bioactive intakes not […]

Beverage Caffeine Intake Study

A large variety of new caffeinated beverage products have entered the market in recent years, including new types of energy drinks, cold brew and ready-to-drink specialty coffees and teas, and caffeinated waters and sports drinks. With shifts towards remote work […]

Recommending a quantified intake of flavan-3-ols promote heart health

Dietary bioactives are food substances that promote health but lack quantified intake recommendations because they are not characterized as essential to prevent well defined deficiency conditions. This project translates evidence from a comprehensive systematic evidence review by Raman et al. […]

*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.