Framework to Contextualize Different Sources of Food Risk: Are all risks equal?
Framework to Contextualize Different Sources of Food Risk: Are all risks equal? supports researchers developing and testing a framework to compare food risks and inform consumers' dietary decisions.
Funder: Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences
Due Dates: November 30, 2026 (Proposal deadline)
Funding Amounts: Six-month project; IAFNS pays open-access publication fees directly
Summary: Supports development and case-study testing of a framework comparing chemical, microbiological, and nutritional food risks.
Key Information: Proposals are limited to three pages, excluding references, investigator bios, and CVs.
Description
The Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS), through its Food Chemical Safety Committee, seeks research to develop an approach for comparing different sources of food risk. The project should build on existing approaches and address the lack of a generally accepted framework for evaluating combined or relative risks from chemical contamination, microbiological contamination, and nutrient deficiency or excess.
The framework must be evaluated through case studies that identify its challenges and opportunities. Suggested comparisons include leafy vegetable consumption and heavy metal exposure, sanitizer exposure versus microbiological contamination, allergen risk versus malnutrition, and foodborne pathogens versus approved food additives. The goal is to distinguish risks with different human-health impacts, clarify the holistic effects of dietary choices, and support more informed consumer decisions.
