The IAFNS Assembly on Scientific Integrity guides members from government, industry and academia as they drive, fund and lead actionable science in support of public health.
We bring scientific experts and leaders together to catalyze science for confident decision-making by all sectors.
IAFNS believes researchers from the public and private sectors can and should work together on science and public health issues.
Public-private collaboration—where all interests are declared and all funding is acknowledged—can advance science for public benefit.
Scientific Integrity
Our multi-sector structure is designed to prevent any single interest from dominating. We commit to publishing our results regardless of outcome.
Transparency
We are committed to full disclosure of our funding of research and sharing research methods and data of projects we support with the scientific community.
Collaboration
We believe that engaging industry, government, and academic scientists makes research stronger and minimizes bias.
Public Benefit
Our projects must address issues of broad public health interest and offer benefit to the health of the public.
IAFNS has earned the 2026 Platinum Seal of Transparency! View our Candid nonprofit profile.
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Integrity in Science — It's Who We Are
Scientific integrity is essential to advancing credible science for the purpose of improving society. IAFNS is a recognized leader in addressing issues of scientific integrity, research, public-private partnerships, and conflict of interest through our work with federal agencies and scientific professional societies. We are proud of our extensive programs on scientific integrity, and we integrate scientific integrity into every step of our research programs.
The updates to these Guiding Principles strengthen guardrails that separate the funding from the science, reflect the shift in the scientific community towards open science, and provide greater transparency on interactions between the funder and investigator.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) has the potential to aid in scientific insights and streamline processes to enhance productivity in research. Learn more about how IAFNS is addressing GAI and defines specific use cases.
Want to report an issue of research misconduct? Please email IAFNS at integrity@iafns.org
Additionally, please refer to resources below for additional information and support on scientific integrity or research conduct:
Research Integrity
NIH policies and guidance on maintaining integrity in research.
Visit resource →Best Practices for Ensuring Scientific Integrity and Preventing Misconduct
OECD recommendations on fostering integrity and avoiding misconduct.
Visit resource →Guidelines for the Responsible Conduct of Research
Guidance on ethical and responsible research conduct.
Visit resource →To ensure the highest level of scientific integrity and transparency, all investigators funded through IAFNS are required to adhere to the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines and the Guiding Principles for Funding of Food and Nutrition Research. However, should an issue of scientific misconduct arise during an IAFNS funded project, the following steps will occur:
IAFNS will rely on the institution in which the research is being conducted to detect and address research misconduct.
Research misconduct includes, but is not limited to, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and any other practice that seriously deviates from practices commonly accepted in the academic and research community.
The institution will promptly report in writing to IAFNS all incidents of research misconduct by researchers engaged in the project.
If IAFNS determines that any individual employed by, or contracted for, by the institution has engaged in research misconduct in the course of the project, IAFNS may, in its sole discretion, end the project.
Food Additive Lens App
An app to help consumers make informed food choices The IAFNS Assembly on Scientific Integrity guides members from government, industry and academia as they drive, fund […]
Building a Public-Private Partnership for Data Sharing to Improve Food Safety Capacity Building
There is national interest in protecting public health by reducing foodborne illness from Salmonella in poultry. While industry continues to reduce Salmonella prevalence, the cases […]
Scientific Integrity Training Materials for Graduate Students
Scientific integrity is critical as a foundation of trustworthy scientific research. However, while some training programs require an introductory ethics course, they are often not […]
Update on “A Partnership for Public Health: USDA Global Branded Food Products Database”
Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 2022
IAFNS is one of six partners whose goal is to improve public health and the sharing of open data by expanding and enhancing the USDA National Nutrient Database — now known as USDA FoodData Central — with nutrient composition and ingredient information on branded and private label foods to better reflect the food supply.
An Updated Framework for Industry Funding of Food and Nutrition Research: Managing Financial Conflicts and Scientific Integrity
The Journal of Nutrition, 2023
The IAFNS Assembly on Scientific Integrity has updated its Guiding Principles for Funding Food Science and Nutrition Research to provide a modernized framework for minimizing bias and promoting integrity in industry-funded research.
Science Is Self-Correcting—But the Record Is Not: Building Self-Correction Into the Design of Science
July 30, 2021
Virtual, Event
In this session, invited speakers will expand upon dialogue from IAFNS’s original “Science is Self-Correcting – But the Record is Not” webinar by exploring how we can achieve an enterprise-wide approach to self-correction that is built into the design of science.
USDA Global Branded Food Products Database
March 31, 2021
Virtual, Webinar
The USDA Global Branded Food Products Database strengthens public health and the sharing of open data by providing public access to nutrient composition and ingredient information on branded foods. To date, nutrient and ingredient information for over 355,000 branded and private label products have been submitted to the Database.
