Institute For The Advancement Of Food And Nutrition Sciences

THE INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF FOOD AND NUTRITION SCIENCES (IAFNS) IS A UNIQUE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION BASED IN WASHINGTON, DC, THAT PROVIDES A FORUM FOR ACADEMIC, GOVERNMENT, AND INDUSTRY SCIENTISTS TO IDENTIFY IMPORTANT NUTRITION AND FOOD SAFETY ISSUES THROUGH ITS PROGRAMS. IAFNS CONTRIBUTES TO AN IMPROVED SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE ISSUES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. IAFNS ADDRESSES IMPORTANT FOOD, NUTRITION, AND WELLNESS TOPICS THROUGH COMMITTEES THAT FOCUS ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF DIET, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH PROMOTION. IAFNS HELPS DEVELOP AND DISSEMINATE SCIENCE RELATED TO FOOD SAFETY, INCLUDING TOXICOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, AND PACKAGING ISSUES.

IAFNS FOOD NUTRITION AND SAFETY SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (FNSP) PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN DEFINING SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMING, EVALUATING EMERGING SCIENCE PROPOSALS, AND REVIEWING APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS. IN 2023, THE COMMITTEE LEAD THE EFFORT IN ORGANIZING THE ANNUAL MEETING. THE COMMITTEE ALSO SUPPORTED THE 2023 SCIENCE INNOVATION SHOWCASE - A SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM FOR INNOVATORS ACROSS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. ADDITIONALLY, THE COMMITTEE SUPPORTED AND REVIEWED APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNSHIP OR FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FROM UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPS AND PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR THOSE EMERGING SCIENTISTS.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS: SODIUM COMMITTEE, GUT MICROBES AND HEALTH, CONFLICT OF INTEREST/SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY, LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS COMMITTEE, COGNITIVE HEALTH COMMITTEE, CARBOHYDRATES COMMITTEE, FOOD PACKAGING SAFETY COMMITTEE, CAFFEINE COMMITTEE, DIATARY LIPIDS COMMITTEE, COMMUNICATIONS, AND OTHERS.

IAFNS FOOD MICROBIOLOGY COMMITTEE IS A RECOGNIZED SCIENTIFIC LEADER IN MICROBIAL FOOD SAFETY AND ACTIVELY WORKS TO IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROL OF MICROBIAL FOOD SAFETY HAZARDS TO ENABLE SCIENTIFICALLY INFORMED DECISION MAKING. IN 2023, THE COMMITTEE ADVANCED A NEW PROJECT: DEVELOPMENT OF NONPOLAR LIQUID ANTIMICROBIAL DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR DRY SANITATION. BY IMPLEMENTING MORE EFFECTIVE SANITATION TECHNIQUES, WITHOUT THE USE OF WATER, WE CAN ULTIMATELY REDUCE FOODBORNE PATHOGENIC CONTAMINATION AND IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH. ADDITIONALLY, THE FOOD MICROBIOLOGY COMMITTEE SUPPORTED THREE SESSIONS AND A BREAKFAST MEETING AT THE 2023 INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR FOOD PROTECTION'S ANNUAL MEETING IN TORONTO, CANADA. THE SESSIONS MOBILIZED KNOWLEDGE OF RELEVANT AND ONGOING FOOD SAFETY TOPICS INCLUDING GENOMICS, DATA SHARING AND FOODBORNE OUTBREAKS. THE BREAKFAST MEETING INCLUDED THE RECORDING AND DISTRIBUTION OF A PODCAST WITH TWO FOOD SAFETY EXPERTS.

IAFNS FOOD AND CHEMICAL SAFETY COMMITTEE IS RECOGNIZED AS A SCIENTIFIC LEADER IN FOOD AND CHEMICAL SAFETY RESEARCH AND HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS IN TOXICOLOGY AND RISK ASSESSMENT TO ADVANCE THE SCIENCE OF FOOD SAFETY AND IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS CONTINUE TO UTILIZE THE STRONG SCIENCE PROVIDED BY THE COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS RESEARCH GAPS AND DEVELOP FUTURE RESEARCH. THE COMMITTEE ADVANCED SEVERAL PROJECTS IN 2023: A FRAMEWORK FOR HEAVY METAL PRIORITIZATION AND MITIGATION FOR REDUCING METAL INTAKE; HEAVY METALS IN US FOODS: EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT BY AGE GROUP AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES, AND DEVELOPMENT OF A RESEARCH FRAMEWORK FOR EVIDENCE-BASED ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL CARCINOGENS. MORE INFORMATION ON THESE ACTIVITIES CAN BE FOUND ON THE IAFNS WEBSITE.