Foundation Looking Ahead to 2020

In 2019, the Foundation undertook comprehensive research agenda by conducting two requests for proposals (RFP).  In January, the Foundation Board of Directors approved three research projects to address these research priorities.

• How Does Analytic Approach Impact Pathogen Population Structure When Analyzing Whole Genome Sequence Data?, University of Minnesota, IBM
• Effects of Red Meat Consumption on Gut Microbiota in Young Adults, Purdue University, University of Colorado
• Meat as a First Solid Food on Risk of Overweight and Neurodevelopment in Infants, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado Denver

Signifying the importance of this research, these projects are jointly funded by the Beef Checkoff and the Foundation.

A key component to research is disseminating information to stakeholders and interested parties.  In 2018, the Foundation along with U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, Beef Industry Food Safety Council (BIFSCo), and the Beef Checkoff funded three critical projects addressing data gaps in revised Appendices A&B to ensure producers of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products meet these guidelines.  These projects ran in parallel to the Appendices A&B Scientific Working Group, who along with the Industry Advisory Group and association partners who were able to share the research findings with the Food Safety and Inspection Service in 2019 to add to the scientific body of evidence and inform the agency’s future revisions to the Appendices.  The Foundation’s research program is having a direct impact on the industry’s ability to produce products safely and in compliance with regulatory guidance.

To further advance the scientific knowledge, in August the Foundation issued its annual RFP on key topics in food safety, nutritional sciences and product quality in its request.  Last year, the Foundation funded nutrition sciences research for the first time.  The outcomes of these projects will be used to inform the scientific base for future editions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  Funding nutrition sciences research is a critical step to ensuring animal products continue to be recognized as an important part of healthy, balanced dietary patterns.

Therefore, a supplemental nutrition sciences RFP was issued to address relevant questions on the role of meat and poultry products in healthy dietary patterns.  The proposals submitted in response to the supplemental RFP were reviewed by the Foundation’s Research Advisory Committee alongside the proposals in response to the annual RFP.  Several projects were recommended for funding and will be evaluated by the Foundation’s Board of Directors in January 2020.