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 SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (FNSP) PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN DEFINING SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMMING, EVALUATING EMERGING SCIENCE PROPOSALS, AND REVIEWING APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS. IN 2021, THE COMMITTEE LEAD THE EFFORT IN ORGANIZING THE ANNUAL MEETING. THE COMMITTEE ALSO SUPPORTED THE 2021 SCIENCE INNOVATION SHOWCASE -A SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM FOR INNOVATORS ACROSS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. ADDITIONALLY, THE SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP COUNCIL REVIEWED APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNSHIP OR FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FROM UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPS AND PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR THOSE EMERGING SCIENTISTS.

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 2021: EVALUATION OF THE DOSE-RESPONSE FOR PEANUT ALLERGEN; METAL DIETARY EXPOSURE SCREENING TOOL; RISK ASSESSMENT OF PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS) IN FOOD; DEVELOPMENT OF A RESEARCH FRAMEWORK FOR EVIDENCE-BASED ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL CARCINOGENS. MORE INFORMATION ON THESE ACTIVITIES CAN BE FOUND ON THE IAFNS WEBSITE.

IAFNS GUT MICROBES AND HEALTH ADVANCES THE SCIENCE REQUIRED TO SUBSTANTIATE DIETARY MODULATION OF THE GUT MICROBIOME IN WAYS THAT ARE CONDUCIVE TO HEALTH. OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, FOCUS ON THE GUT MICROBIOME AND HEALTH HAS INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY. HOWEVER, THERE REMAIN A GROWING NUMBER OF UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, INCLUDING BEST METHODS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND DOCUMENTING THE EFFECTS OF DIETARY COMPONENTS ON SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE GUT MICROBIOME. THE COMMITTEE ADVANCED SEVERAL PROJECTS IN 2021: IMPACT OF INGESTED LIVE MICROBES ON HEALTH; INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS AND GUT MICROBIOME; IDENTIFYING MICROBIALLYDERIVED METABOLITES AS BIOMARKERS. ADDITIONALLY, THE COMMITTEE COLLABORATED WITH NIST (THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY) TO DEVELOP A HUMAN WHOLE STOOL REFERENCE MATERIAL. MORE INFORMATION ON THESE ACTIVITIES CAN BE FOUND ON THE IAFNS WEBSITE.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS: CARBOHYDRATES COMMITTEE, FOOD MICROBIOLOGY COMMITTEE, CAFFEINE COMMITTEE, COMMUNICATIONS, PROTEIN COMMITTEE, SODIUM COMMITTEE, LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS COMMITTEE, CONFLICT OF INTEREST/SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY, PPP, BIOACTIVES COMMITTEE, FOOD PACKAGING SAFETY COMMITTEE, DIETERY LIPIDS COMMITTEE, AND OTHERS.