FFH Comments Echoed in PCAST Nutrition Report

October 1, 2024

In December 2023, after collecting feedback from the larger research community, Foods for Health submitted a response to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) request for input on the future of nutrition research. The response from FFH emphasized several key points that also appear in the final PCAST report, published in September 2024.

Filling Knowledge Gaps

Decades of work have advanced our knowledge of singular nutrient deficiencies, but significant gaps remain in basic research, especially in understanding how nutrition can help optimize health beyond nutrient sufficiency. The PCAST report outlined several areas for impact in foundational nutrition research including (1) the understanding and measurement of eating behaviors, (2) biomarkers of nutrient exposure and risk factors, (3) genetic and epigenetic influences on nutritional heterogeneity, (4) the microbiome, diet, and health, (5) chemical “dark matter” within foods, and (6) evaluating nutrition interventions in real-world settings. FFH facilitates work across all these areas through seed grants, workshops, and original research.

Working across Silos

FFH’s response and the final PCAST report emphasized a need to work across disciplines related to nutrition, as well as the need for a solution to the highly siloed nature of federal programming for nutrition research. The report specifically advocates for empowering the Interagency Committee on Human Nutrition Research to lead jointly-funded research initiatives. It also calls on the USDA and HHS to take collective ownership of strengthening nutrition, agriculture, and health science. The council also noted the importance of engaging the private sector for effective implementation of nutrition research findings.

Developing the Next Generation of Professionals

In its response to PCAST, FFH emphasized the need to increase the visibility of careers in nutrition and dietetics. Younger generations are introduced to a variety of career paths through science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education programs, but nutrition is rarely included in this mix. There are also significant barriers to entry in the field of nutrition. For example, dietitians pay for their precepted experiences out of pocket, and they are not eligible for certain federal loan reimbursement programs available to other medical professionals.

Looking to the Future

The PCAST report detailed two key recommendations for nutrition research to have maximal impact on the health of the nation. Together, they convey a need to deepen our knowledge within nutrition and coordinate across federal agencies, with a focus on equity and best practices for implementing science-based interventions. Importantly, the committee advocated for multi-sector engagement in pursuing the recommendations outlined in this report for maximum impact.

The response submitted by FFH was supported by the Office of Government Affairs within the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Use these in-text links to read the original FFH response, the executive summary of the PCAST report, and the full PCAST report.