IAFNS’s Core Values:
Scientific integrity and transparency are core values of IAFNS.
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.
IAFNS has earned the 2023 Platinum Seal of Transparency! View our Candid nonprofit profile.
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.
Assembly on Scientific Integrity
The Assembly on Scientific Integrity includes the IAFNS Board of Trustees, IAFNS Scientific Leadership Council, and all IAFNS members from government, industry, and academia. With representation from all three sectors of our membership, the Assembly is active in ensuring IAFNS achieves and promotes the highest standards of scientific integrity.
View the Assembly’s current and recent projects and efforts.
Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines
The Center for Open Science's Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines provide actionable steps for institutions to practice and promote transparent, reproducible, and rigorous research. IAFNS is a TOP Guidelines signatory. As a signatory, IAFNS supports the principles expressed in the guidelines and supports the implementation of these principles by our funded researchers. All new projects moving forward will work to adhere to the TOP Guidelines.
Our commitment to transparency is evidenced by our establishment a Collection page on the Open Science Framework. The IAFNS Collection aggregates all IAFNS-supported research projects that are registered on the Open Science Framework in one place. It provides greater visibility of the breadth and rigor of research that has been undertaken by the investigators we support, and allows the scientific community to more easily discover our work.
IAFNS's Leadership in Scientific Integrity:

Publications
An Updated Framework for Industry Funding of Food and Nutrition Research: Managing Financial Conflicts and Scientific Integrity
The Journal of Nutrition, 2022
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.
Scientific Integrity Principles and Best Practices: Recommendations from a Scientific Integrity Consortium
Science and Engineering Ethics, 2019
The Scientific Integrity Consortium developed a set of recommended principles and best practices that can be used broadly across scientific disciplines as a mechanism for consensus on scientific integrity standards and to better equip scientists to operate in a rapidly changing research environment.
Using Risk of Bias Domains to Identify Opportunities for Improvement in Food- and Nutrition-Related Research: An Evaluation of Research Type and Design, Year of Publication, and Source of Funding
PLoS ONE, 2018
Risk of Bias (ROB) study pinpoints ways to improve quality of food & nutrition research.
Events
GS1 Connect 2022
June 7, 2022 – June 9, 2022
San Diego, CA
IAFNS is representing the Partnership on the USDA Global Branded Food Products Database at GS1 Connect 2022. This event brings trading partners together to learn about standards-based business processes and best practices for optimum efficiencies in managing the supply and demand sides of their value chain
7th World Conference on Research Integrity
May 29, 2022 – June 1, 2022
Cape Town, South Africa
The World Conferences on Research Integrity conferences foster the exchange of information and discussion about responsible conduct of research.
42nd National Nutrient Databank Conference
May 16, 2022 – May 18, 2022
Virtual, Conference
The National Nutrient Databank Conference is held bi-annually to foster communication among nutrient database generators and users. Participation is open to researchers from academia, the food industry, government, and other interested parties.
Strengthening Research Integrity: Which Areas Should the Research Community Focus On?
November 30, 2021
Virtual, Event
Join us for a presentation of the study “Strengthening research integrity: which topic areas should organisations focus on?” and panel discussion on how the topic areas prioritized in this study compare to those prioritized and implemented within the food and nutrition research community.
JIFSAN-CFS3 Advisory Council Fall Webinar Series: USDA Global Branded Food Products Database
September 22, 2021
Virtual, Online Meeting
IAFNS, USDA, and GS1 US will represent the Public Private Partnership on the USDA Global Branded Food Products Database at the JIFSAN-CFS3 Advisory Council Fall Webinar Series.