Science and Research

Nutrition Research Portfolios

Nutrition research can enhance the following areas:

  • Consumer Demand: Consumers are increasingly conscious of their health and wellness, leading to a growing demand for nutritious food and beverages. Nutrition research helps companies develop products that meet these demands, leading to increased sales and market share.
  • Product Development: Understanding nutritional needs and trends allows companies to develop innovative products that cater to specific dietary requirements, such as high-protein options. This diversification can attract new customers and enhance brand loyalty.
  • Consumer Education: Scientifically-backed information on the nutritional content and potential health benefits of various foods, supplements, and ingredients raises awareness about the importance of balanced nutrition and the role of specific nutrients in preventing diseases and promoting overall well-being.

These ILSI-led research portfolios aim to benefit health and well-being through collaboration:

Applications of Globally Harmonized Nutrients

This portfolio focuses on integrating standardized nutrient recommendations at the global, regional, and local population levels through the establishment of nutrient bioavailability algorithms. Also, this activity is poised to drive advancements in food formulation and labeling. Additionally, this activity will enable comparisons of nutrient intake across populations, inform policy development, and evaluate the sustainability of global food systems.

This project is led by Connie Weaver, PhD, San Diego State University, USA.

Explore the projects in this portfolio

Bioactives, Functional Foods, and Supplements

This portfolio is dedicated to advancing health through enhanced understanding and communication of the optimal utilization of dietary bioactives. In addition, through the development of recommended intake guidance and pinpointing research gaps, we strive to elevate the dissemination of crucial health and safety insights pertaining to bioactive compounds.

This project is led by April Stull, PhD, Baylor University (Waco, TX), USA.

Discover more about this portfolio

Healthy Aging, Geriatrics, and Sarcopenia

This portfolio promotes both awareness and prevention of sarcopenia. Additionally, it promotes risk assessments for the disease among medical providers, patients, and older adults. Since its classification as a disease in 2016, sarcopenia has remained underdiagnosed and underdocumented. This activity aims to change this narrative by bridging the gap between academia, the medical community, and the patient population. Ultimately, the goal of this portfolio is to improve public awareness and to reduce the overall prevalence of sarcopenia.

This project is led by Roger Fielding, PhD, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, USA.

Find out how to help older adults thrive

Open Data Sharing for Clinical Food and Nutrition Trials

This portfolio aims to develop requirements and standards for data sharing. This will include developing best practices for managing, tracking, and sharing data from clinical food and nutrition trials. Ultimately, this portfolio's goal is to enhance data quality by aligning with the FAIR principles, ensuring that data is readily available, easily accessible, interoperable across diverse systems, and reusable for future research.

This project is led by Connie Weaver, PhD, San Diego State University, USA.

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Food Safety Research Portfolio

Food safety research can enhance the following areas:

  • Consumer Trust: Food safety is paramount for consumer trust. Research in this area helps companies implement rigorous safety protocols throughout the production process, ensuring that products are safe for consumption. This builds trust and credibility with consumers.
  • Risk Mitigation: By identifying potential hazards and implementing preventive measures, food safety research helps companies mitigate the risk of contamination and foodborne illnesses. This protects both consumers and the company's reputation.
  • Cost Savings: Investing in food safety research can lead to long-term cost savings by reducing the likelihood of product recalls and damage to brand reputation. It's more cost-effective to prevent issues than to deal with the consequences.

This ILSI-led research portfolio aims to generate groundbreaking research to ensure cultivated foods are safe:

Risk Assessment of Cultivated Food Products

The development and commercialization of cultivated meat is progressing at unprecedented speed. Therefore, it's crucial that knowledge gaps relevant to food safety, as well as risk to consumers, be identified at a similar pace. This portfolio aims to identify these gaps and address them in a neutral forum involving experts and researchers from industry, academia, and governmental departments and agencies.

Dive deeper into this innovative research

Sustainability Research Portfolio

Sustainability-focused research can enhance the following areas:

  • Environmental Impact Minimization: Sustainability research helps companies minimize their environmental footprint by reducing resource consumption, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions. This aligns with consumer preferences for eco-friendly products and practices.
  • Supply Chain Resilience: Understanding the sustainability of raw materials and supply chains is crucial for long-term business resilience. Companies that invest in sustainable practices are better positioned to adapt to changing market trends and resource availability.
  • Brand Differentiation: Sustainability initiatives can differentiate a company's brand in a competitive market. Consumers are increasingly seeking out brands that prioritize environmental and social responsibility, leading to increased brand loyalty and positive brand perception.

This ILSI-led research portfolio aims to advance sustainable food systems for future generations:

The Impact of Climate Change on Food Safety, Sustainability, Security, and Nutrition

This portfolio will bring together interdisciplinary teams to identify future challenges to the safety, sustainability, and nutritional content of the food supply.

This project is led by Lee-Ann Jaykus, PhD, North Carolina State University, USA.

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Watch the Research Portfolio Presentation Videos on ILSI's YouTube Channel

Learn more about the ILSI U.S. and Canada Research Program!

Download this booklet (PDF) for more information about ILSI U.S. and Canada's initial, proposed research projects and how to get involved!

The booklet also covers:

  • An introduction to the global ILSI Federation.
  • The ILSI U.S. and Canada's governance and funding models, as well as its inaugural Governance Committee.
  • The new ILSI U.S. and Canada Science Board.
  • The added value that the ILSI U.S. and Canada Research Program provides for experts, companies, foundations and institutions.

Questions? Interested in collaborating with ILSI? Contact research@ilsiuscanada.org today!

Access the Booklet Here