Food Science and Nutrition

The Food Science and Nutrition topic area aims to fund projects that support research focusing on developing new and improved processes, technologies, products, or services that address emerging food safety, food processing, and nutrition issues. The program will fund projects to: 1) increase the understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of food; 2) improve methods for the processing and packaging of food products to improve the quality, safety and nutritional value of foods, and to reduce food waste; 3) develop systems and technologies for rapid, sensitive, reliable and robust detection of pathogens and chemical hazardous materials in foods across the food supply chain, including systems that utilize artificial intelligence and blockchain technology; 4) develop programs or products that encourage the consumption of healthy foods and reduce diet related chronic diseases, or alleviate urban and rural food deserts; and 5) develop products to drive climate-smart food systems to ensure a safe, accessible and nutritious food supply. The outcome of a successful project is a proof of concept for a marketable product or patented process.