Economic

Research

Service

Economic

Research 

Report 

Number 182

January 2015

United States Department of Agriculture

Improving Health Through Nutrition 

Research: An Overview of the 

U.S. Nutrition Research System

Andrew A. Toole and Fred Kuchler
Economic Research Service 

www.ers.usda.gov

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Toole, Andrew A. and Fred Kuchler. Improving Health Through Nutrition Research: 

An Overview of the U.S. Nutrition Research System, ERR-182, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Economic Research Service, January 2015.

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United States Department of Agriculture

Economic 

Research 

Service

Economic

Research

Report

Number 182

January 2015

Abstract

This report explores the structure and function of the U.S. nutrition research system, 

with an emphasis on trends in Federal support. It describes how nutrition research 

is used, especially for nutrition education and communication, but also for regulation and food assistance. The report uses the Human Nutrition Research Information 

Management database maintained by the National Institutes of Health to analyze longterm trends. Federal investments in nutrition research grew from 1985 to 2009 in real 

terms, but the portfolio of research changed. Over time, the share of nutrition research 

support by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services increased while support 

by the U.S. Department of Agriculture decreased. This shift changed how research 

topics were selected and funded within the Federal portfolio. More research is funded 

through competitive grants than through intramural or formula funding, and a broader 

set of academic institutions now participates in nutrition research. 

Keywords: Federal research, research and development, public investment, nutrition 

information system, Human Nutrition Research Information Management (HNRIM), 

formula funding, competitive funding

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank reviewers Laurian Unnevehr with the International 

Food Policy Research Institute; Parke Wilde with Tufts University; Amber Jessup, 

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and James Krebs-Smith, 

Division of Nutrition Research Coordination, National Institutes of Health, both with the 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and an anonymous reviewer. In addition, we would like to thank our colleagues Keith Fuglie, Jean Buzby, Tom Hertz, and 

James MacDonald at the USDA Economic Research Service, USDA for their helpful 

comments. We thank Dale Simms for his editorial work and Cynthia A. Ray for design 

and layout. 

Andrew A. Toole and Fred Kuchler

Improving Health Through 

Nutrition Research: 

An Overview of the U.S. 

Nutrition Research System
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Contents

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Paths From Nutrition Research to Better Health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Public Sector Communication of Best Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Public Sector Regulations and Policies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Private Sector Innovation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The U.S. Nutrition Research System: Nature and Structure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Federal Support for Nutrition Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

National Trends in Federal Support for Nutrition Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Federal Portfolio of Nutrition Research Areas and Research Performers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Defining Portfolio Shares Using HNRIM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Distribution of Federal Support Across Major Nutrition Research Areas Is Relatively Stable. . 17

Share of Support for Disease, Injury, and Conditions Research Increased Due to the 

Obesity, Genetics, and Other Diseases Topic Areas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Share of Support for Metabolism and Metabolic Mechanisms Research Decreased Due 

to the Vitamins, Minerals, and Proteins Topic Areas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Share of Support for Food Sciences Decreased Due to the 

Food Composition and Effects of Technology on Foods and Diets Topic Areas. . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The Portfolio of Federally Supported Organizations That Perform Nutrition Research . . . . . . 20

Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Appendix—The Relationship Between Project Counts and Project Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
United States Department of Agriculture

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providing timely information on economic and policy 

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rural America. www.ers.usda.gov

Economic 

Research 

Service

Economic 

Research 

Report 

Number 182

January 2015

United States Department of Agriculture

Improving Health Through Nutrition 

Research: An Overview of the 

U.S. Nutrition Research System

Andrew A. Toole and Fred Kuchler

January 2015

Find the full report 

at www.ers.usda.

gov/publications/erreconomic-researchreport/err182

Andrew A. Toole and Fred Kuchler

Improving Health Through Nutrition 

Research: An Overview of the 

U.S. Nutrition Research System

What Is the Issue? 

A 2013 survey of consumers found that 45 percent were “very interested” and another 42 

percent were “somewhat interested” in learning more about foods that have health benefits. 

Private companies are responding by redirecting their research and development efforts toward 

creating nutritionally enriched conventional foods and new food products that go beyond basic 

nutrition. Governmental organizations use programs and policies to address a variety of public 

health challenges such as malnutrition and obesity. The United States has a diverse and multidisciplinary nutrition research system with numerous sponsoring organizations and thousands 

of active researchers. The body of knowledge this system produces serves as the foundation 

for progress toward better health. However, maintaining this foundation is not guaranteed; it 

depends on the resources provided by sponsoring organizations and on how research topics 

are selected and funded. This report explores the structure and function of the U.S. nutrition 

research system, with a particular emphasis on changes in Federal support. 

What Did the Study Find?

Public data on the levels and trends in research investments are limited, particularly for private 

research organizations. However, data are available on federally supported nutrition research 

from the Human Nutrition Research Information Management (HNRIM) database maintained 

by the National Institutes of Health. Analysis of the HNRIM database for the 25 years from 

1985 through 2009 (the latest year of available USDA data) revealed that Federal investments 

in nutrition research more than doubled in real terms, but the portfolio of research changed. 

The share of Federal support by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

increased while that by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) decreased. This shift 

changed how research topics were selected and funded within the Federal portfolio. As a 

result, more research is funded through competitive grants than through intramural or formula 

funding, and a broader set of academic institutions now participates in nutrition research.

To analyze the nutrition research areas receiving Federal support, we construct a portfolio that 

shows the shares (percent of all nutrition research projects) across 6 major research areas spanning 37 topics. The analysis finds: 

• The Disease, Injury, and Conditions research area grew most in its share of Federal 

support, climbing from 40 percent in 1985 to 49 percent by 2009. This area covers a wide 
range of diseases (e.g., cardiovascular, diabetes, and cancer) and conditions (e.g., obesity, anorexia, and 

high cholesterol). 

• Within the Disease, Injury, and Conditions research area, the Obesity/Anorexia/Appetite Control topic grew 

fastest, rising from 3.6 percent of the Federal portfolio in 1985 to 13.1 percent in 2009. This topic area grew 

fastest within the portfolios of both DHHS and USDA.

• The Metabolism and Metabolic Mechanisms research area experienced the largest decline in Federal portfolio share, from 28 percent in 1985 to 20 percent in 2009. This area investigates how the human body gets 

or makes energy from food and its constituents such as carbohydrates and proteins.

• Seven out of the nine topic areas that make up the Metabolism and Metabolic Mechanisms research area 

experienced declining Federal shares between 1985 and 2009. The topics leading this decline were Vitamins, 

Minerals, and Proteins.

• The USDA provides most of the Federal support for nutrition research in the Food Sciences area, which 

includes food processing, preservation, and other food-related technologies. From 1985 to 2009, USDA 

supported 80 percent of the active projects (on average).

• The Federal portfolio share allocated to Food Sciences decreased from 10 to 4 percent in the period 

analyzed. While the Federal shares for each of the four topic areas within the Food Sciences fell, the topics 

leading the decline were Food Composition and Effects of Technology on Foods and Diets. 

The portfolio of federally supported organizations that perform nutrition research also shifted from 1985

to 2009:

• The share of Federal nutrition research projects performed by Government researchers fell from 12 percent 

in 1985 to 6 percent in 2009.

• The share of research projects performed by land-grant universities and colleges fell from 34 percent in 

1985 to 22 percent in 2009.

• The share of research performed by non-land grant universities and colleges grew from 30 percent in 1985 

to 41 percent of total nutrition projects in 2009.

• The Other category of institutions—medical schools, hospitals, and research institutes—also saw its share 

of research support grow, from 22 percent to 29 percent of all federally supported nutrition projects.

• Private companies performed just 1-2 percent of federally supported nutrition research projects.

Our review of the academic and policy literatures found no published studies that analyzed the impacts of these 

trends on the volume of research performed or the productivity of the U.S. nutrition research system. Future 

studies could analyze available indicators of research outputs, such as published articles or patents, and could 

relate those to inputs, such as project effort or financial investments.

How Was the Study Conducted?

This report synthesizes the existing literature analyzing the U.S. nutrition research system and analyzes data on 

Federal support from the Human Nutrition Research Information Management (HNRIM) database. This database is maintained by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the auspices of the Interagency Committee 

on Human Nutrition Research. Each participating Federal agency reports to HNRIM its own data on active 

nutrition projects each year. To document the nature and trends in Federal nutrition research, this report relies 

on the number and distribution of active project counts contained in HNRIM for fiscal years 1985 through 

2009. Based on an analysis of available data on project award amounts, we concluded that project counts accurately characterize trends in Federal support for nutrition research. 

www.ers.usda.gov
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Improving Health Through Nutrition 

Research: An Overview of the 

U.S. Nutrition Research System 

Introduction

U.S. consumers, private companies, and governmental organizations are all keenly interested in the 

relationships between nutrition, dietary choices, and health. In 2013, a survey by the International 

Food Information Council found that 45 percent of consumers were “very interested” and another 

42 percent were “somewhat interested” in learning more about foods that have health benefits (IFIC, 

2013). Private companies are responding to consumers by redirecting their research and development efforts toward creating nutritionally enriched conventional foods and new food products that go 

beyond basic nutrition. Governmental organizations use programs and policies to address a variety 

of public health challenges such as malnutrition and obesity.

The links between nutrition, dietary choices, and health are established through research. Basic 

research reveals the genetic, cellular, and chemical relationships that determine metabolic responses 

to diet and food components. For instance, nutrigenetics/nutrigenomics research is expected to 

produce new nutritional and disease biomarkers based on how nutrients interact with genes, proteins, 

and metabolites for specific individuals (Ohlhorst et al., 2013). Clinical research translates basic 

research into evidence-based policy and practice. These studies are critical for demonstrating 

nutrient dosages, absorption, efficacy, and safety for health interventions. Observational research

focuses on a variety of topics including nutritional epidemiology, nutrition education, and program 

evaluations. Insights into food consumption habits and behaviors from these studies help to improve 

food choices, policies, and regulations. 

As a whole, this body of nutrition research underpins progress toward better health. However, 

maintaining and strengthening this knowledge foundation depends on resources provided by sponsoring organizations and on how research topics are selected and funded. For instance, changes in 

Federal budget appropriations across agencies affect not only the level of Federal support but also 

how Federal support is administered. When Federal agencies have different missions, use different 

funding mechanisms, and support different performers within the nutrition research system, these 

funding changes may alter the nature of nutrition research by favoring some topics and performers 

over others or affecting research productivity. This report provides a first look at the structure and 

function of the U.S. nutrition research system, with an emphasis on changes in Federal support. 
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Paths From Nutrition Research to Better Health

Nutrition research produces information that influences human health through a variety of paths 

within a complex communication system, composed of information generation, translation, and 

impact (fig. 1). Information generation, carried out by the nutrition research system, is the stage 

where researchers discover new knowledge, methods, and technologies. For example, in 2007, 

researchers identified the so-called “fat mass and obesity-associated” (FTO) gene variant, which is 

present in about one out of every six adults in the population. People with the FTO gene variant have 

a 20- to 30-percent higher risk of obesity compared to those without the variant (Harvard School of 

Public Health, 2014). Other researchers are using this information to understand how the FTO gene 

variant triggers weight gain. In a 2013 study, Rachel Batterham and her research team identified 

another link. She described it as follows:

We’ve known for a while that variations in the FTO gene are strongly linked with 

obesity, but until now we didn’t know why. What this study shows us is that individuals with two copies of the obesity-risk FTO variant are biologically programmed 

to eat more. Not only do these people have higher ghrelin levels and therefore feel 

hungrier, their brains respond differently to ghrelin and to pictures of food—it’s a 

double hit. (University College London, 2013)

Discoveries like the FTO gene variant are communicated through a variety of channels, such as 

publications, conferences, interpersonal networks, and consulting, to the next component—information translation. Information translation is essential because consumers rarely draw information 

directly from the scientific journals or other communication channels used by nutrition researchers. 

Instead, consumers rely on various public and private organizations to evaluate, interpret, and 

repackage nutrition research findings to facilitate understanding and guide behaviors. These translational activities include public-sector communication of best practices, public-sector regulations and 

policies, and private-sector products and services (fig. 1). The connection between nutrition research 

and each of these translational activities is discussed below in separate subsections. 

The findings from nutrition research need to be accessible and understandable before consumers can 

use this information to improve their choices about food and diet. Consumer choices, in turn, influence short-term and long-term health. For instance, dietary choices affect the extent and severity of 

diseases such as cardiovascular disease and conditions such as anemia, anorexia, and obesity. The 

trends and costs associated with nutrition-related diseases and conditions are significant concerns 

within the public health community. Obesity rates among adults increased by 37 percent between 

1998 and 2006, with an obese adult spending $1,429 more on health care than a normal-weight 

person in 2006 (Finkelstein et al., 2009). And these obesity-driven increases in health care costs are 

likely to continue. After a review of recent epidemiological studies, the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention (CDC) concluded that “children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese 

as adults” and “childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents 

in the past 30 years” (CDC, 2014). 

The value of nutrition research ultimately derives from its potential impact on human health. While 

the health effects of the research described in this report have not been quantified, it is clear that 

even a small impact on health would produce very large economic benefits. Two economists at the 

University of Chicago, Kevin Murphy and Robert Topel, developed a framework for understanding 

the economic value created by better health. Their framework considered two aspects of health 

improvements—life expectancy and health status. Improved life expectancy allows people to enjoy 
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more products, services, and leisure activities over their lifetime. Improved health status means 

people have a higher quality of life (e.g., better eyesight or better mobility), and this allows them 

to more fully enjoy life. Murphy and Topel (2006) estimated the economic value of improved life 

expectancy that occurred in the United States between 1970 and 2000 at $95 trillion, or about $3.2 

trillion per year (see box on the "Murphy and Topel Estimates"). 

Public-Sector Communication of Best Practices

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans exemplifies how the public sector communicates best practices 

based on nutrition research. Since 1980, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 

and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have worked together to develop and disseminate the 

Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

1 The Guidelines, released every 5 years, provide recommendations 

for a nutritionally balanced diet developed from a review of relevant scientific evidence. 

1The 1995 Dietary Guidelines was the first mandated joint report, prepared according to the 1990 National Nutrition 

Monitoring and Related Research Act. Among the requirements, reports are reviewed by a committee of experts, updated 

if necessary, and published every 5 years.

Figure 1

Schematic of the nutrition information communication system

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, author’s calculations.

Improved Decisionmaking by Consumers

Health Outcomes

Information Impact

Public-Sector

Communication

of Best Practices

(e.g. Dietary Guidelines,

dietary reference intakes)

Public-Sector

Regulations and

Policies

(e.g. nutrition standards,

food labels, trans fat

regulations)

Private-Sector

Products and

Services

(e.g. conventional

foods, functional foods,

dietary supplements) 

Information Translation

Companies 

Research and 

Nonprofit 

Institutions

(e.g. universities)

Government

Information Generation

(Nutrition Research System)
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Murphy and Topel Estimates: Perspective and Approach to Health Valuation

The $95-trillion economic gain calculated by Murphy and Topel is enormous. To put this in perspective, Murphy 

and Topel compared their figure with the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States. The U.S. GDP 

measures the market value of all final goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United 

States. Economists and policymakers use the GDP to assess the levels and trends in U.S. output and economic 

growth. Similarly, Murphy and Topel view annual health improvements as health “output” that adds to the wellbeing of Americans. Making this comparison, the $95 trillion Murphy and Topel calculated from increased life 

expectancy over 1970 to 2000 is equivalent to 44 percent of the cumulative GDP for the United States over the same 

period. In other words, the value afforded Americans through improved life expectancy was equal to 44 percent of 

the total value of all final goods and services produced in the United States over those years. 

Why are the estimated values for health improvements so large? As Murphy and Topel point out, the economic 

gains are large because the number of people who benefit from the health improvements is large. Murphy and 

Topel started with the observation that during the 20th century, life expectancy at birth for a typical American 

increased by 30 years. The value of greater longevity and better health, however, is not like the value of cars, 

toasters, or other things that might be purchased in retail stores at a known price. Instead, the value of greater 

longevity and better health must be estimated indirectly. Murphy and Topel based their valuation on how much 

a person would pay (called “willingness to pay”) for a risk reduction, where the risks considered influence the 

length and quality of the person’s life. 

Of course, measuring the value of risk reduction is not easy compared to measuring the value of other product attributes that are priced in the market. For example, Coca-Cola soft drinks are usually more expensive than generic 

colas of the same size. This price premium for Coca-Cola indicates the value consumers place on the Coca-Cola 

brand. Product labels make it easy for consumers to compare prices and many product attributes, but few products 

indicate the degree of riskiness. For instance, no one sells chicken parts with labels indicating the likelihood of 

contracting a Salmonella infection. Peoples’ willingness to pay for risk reduction, however, can be detected in some 

market transactions, and economists use those transactions to estimate the value of risk reductions. The standard 

approach is to look at job market transactions, although product market transactions (e.g., purchases of bicycle 

helmets) and housing market transactions (e.g., home purchases in locations at risk for a hazardous waste site) are 

also used in some studies. In the job market, people are generally paid more to perform riskier jobs, and economists 

have estimated how much wages rise when workers accept a small risk of on-the-job fatal injury using information 

from jobs in mining, construction, manufacturing, and many other industries (Viscusi and Aldy, 2003). From this, 

economists estimate the risk-dollar tradeoffs individuals are willing to accept. 

Murphy and Topel used risk-dollar tradeoffs from job market studies to estimate a yearly value of a “statistical 

life” at every age. They benchmarked their analysis to studies estimating that workers demand a $630 annual 

wage premium to accept a 1-in-10,000 risk of fatal injury. That is, across 10,000 workers accepting the wage 

premium and the risk, we expect to see one fatal injury for an increased wage bill of $6.3 million. In their analysis, $6.3 million is the average value of a statistical life for working-age adults, a figure obtained from the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency. Based on this, Murphy and Topel created an annual version called the “value 

of a life-year” for an individual at every age, beginning at birth and extending to death as determined by the 

mortality tables for the United States.

Using the observed increase in life expectancy in the United States, Murphy and Topel calculated the increase in 

the value of a life-year for an individual. Then, for individuals at each age, they summed the increased life-year 

values over the remaining years in the person’s lifespan. This produces a total increase (or gain) in the value of 

continued—
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The science-based process of creating the Guidelines begins with the selection of an independent 

Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) composed of nationally recognized experts in the 

fields of nutrition and health. These individuals are responsible for making recommendations to the 

Secretaries of DHHS and USDA after a thorough review of current scientific and medical knowledge. The DGAC uses the Nutrition Evidence Library (NEL) to support its systematic review. The 

NEL reviews, evaluates, synthesizes and houses the information produced by the nutrition research 

system and posts full “evidence portfolios” online (see http://www.nel.gov/). 

The Guidelines are the foundation for educational materials like MyPlate distributed by the USDA 

and other Federal agencies. By law,2 all Federal dietary guidance for the public—including print and 

Web-based educational materials, messages, tools, and programs to communicate healthy eating and 

physical activity information—must be consistent with the Guidelines. 

But the influence of the Guidelines does not end with advice. The Guidelines influence the level and 

type of food assistance offered through the 15 food and nutrition assistance programs administered 

by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion relies on 

the Guidelines as the nutritional basis for its USDA Food Plans (Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, 

and Liberal). The Thrifty Food Plan is an estimate of how much it costs to buy food and to prepare 

nutritious, low-cost meals for a household. That estimate is periodically revised for consistency with 

the Guidelines and is the basis for household allotments under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAP–formerly the Food Stamp Program). The Guidelines are an input into determining 

food benefits under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children 

(WIC).3 And the Guidelines influence meal standards for the National School Lunch Program. 

Public-Sector Regulations and Policies

Nutrition research is also an integral source of information for regulations and policies such as the 

Federal regulations on retail food labels. Under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 

1990, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes how food manufacturers will account 

for nutrients in foods—the Nutrition Facts panel on processed foods—and modifies those standards 

periodically (see box, “Trans Fats Labeling”). Another example is USDA’s nutrition standards for 

all foods sold in schools, including snacks and vending machine foods that compete with federally 

supported meals programs. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires USDA to establish 

nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools—beyond the federally supported meals programs. The 

Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards drew on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine 

and voluntary standards already implemented by schools around the country (FNS, 2013). 

2National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act. 

3There are other inputs into determining food benefits for WIC as the Guidelines do not cover children under age 2, a 

major part of the WIC caseload.

an individual’s statistical life at each age. They still have two more steps in their calculation. First, to calculate 

the economic value across all people in an age group, they must multiply the increased value of life at each age 

by the population in that age group. They do this for the current population and for future populations as future 

generations are also expected to benefit from increased life expectancy. This step dramatically increases their 

estimated gains because there are millions of people in the population at each age. Now, with the total benefits 

for each age group, the final economic value is reached by summing across all the age groups in the current 

population as well as those expected to benefit in future populations.
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Nutrition Research Supports Federal Food Labeling Regulations—

Trans Fats Labeling

While the use of trans fats in food manufacturing became widespread in the 1940s (DHHS, FDA, 2013), their 

use is now declining (Rahkovsky et al., 2012). Trans fats were commonly used in food processing because hydrogenation allowed food processors to raise the melting point of relatively inexpensive products containing polyunsaturated fatty acids, making the products solid at room temperature.1 Foods that are higher in saturated fatty 

acids are more resistant to spoilage. The twin attractions of these synthetic trans fatty acids, found in partially 

hydrogenated oils, are reduced costs of food production and longer shelf life of products. Partially hydrogenated 

oils have frequently been used in margarines, snack foods, and prepared desserts, replacing saturated fatty acids.

Trans fats made it easier for food manufacturers to develop tasty snacks, and their snacks cost less to make than 

if they had used other saturated fats. Consumers likely shared in those benefits as the cost reductions kept retail 

prices of snack foods down. However, nutrition research identified a downside to the widespread use of trans fats 

in manufactured foods, as summarized by the Institute of Medicine (part of the National Academy of Sciences):

Trans fatty acids are not essential and provide no known benefit to human health. Therefore, no AI 

or RDA is set. As with saturated fatty acids, there is a positive linear trend between trans fatty acid 

intake and LDL cholesterol concentration, and therefore increased risk of CHD. A UL is not set for 

trans fatty acids because any incremental increase in trans fatty acid intake increases CHD risk.2

The Federal Government has pursued two activities intended to reduce Americans’ dietary intake of trans fats:

1. Informing consumers that they can reduce health risks by choosing fats other than trans fats, and

2. Requiring food manufacturers to label the trans fats content of foods.

Informing consumers

The recommendation to minimize intake of trans fats began with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005.3

Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty acids and less than 300 mg/day of choles

terol, and keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.

At that time, the Food Guide Pyramid emphasized the benefits of reducing foods high in trans fatty acids.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines offers additional advice on how to minimize trans fat consumption:

Keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible, especially by limiting foods that contain 

synthetic sources of trans fats, such as partially hydrogenated oils, and by limiting other solid fats.

1Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, Part D Section 3: Fatty Acids and Cholesterol, p. D3-7.

2AI, Adequate Intake, is defined as the recommended average daily intake level. RDA, Recommended Dietary Allowance, is defined 

as the average daily dietary nutrient intake level sufficient to meet nutrient requirements. UL, Tolerable Upper Intake Level, is defined 

as the highest average daily nutrient intake level that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the 

general population. Coronary heart disease is abbreviated as CHD.

3Because trans fatty acids are unavoidable in ordinary, nonvegan diets, consuming 0 percent of them as energy would require significant changes in patterns of dietary intake. As with saturated fatty acids, such adjustments may introduce undesirable effects (e.g., 

elimination of commercially prepared foods, dairy products, and meats that contain trans fatty acids may result in inadequate intakes of 

protein and certain micronutrients) and unknown and unquantifiable health risks. Nevertheless, it is recommended that trans fatty acid 

consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet. (Institute of Medicine, 2005, pp. 423-24)

continued—
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Food policies, like requirements for iodine fortification in salt or the enrichment of flour products 

with B vitamins and iron, eliminated many nutritional deficiencies in the United States (Davis and 

Saltos, 1999). For instance, iodine deficiency impedes the proper functioning of the thyroid and is 

associated with a number of disorders including brain damage in children. In 1996, the FDA established regulations requiring that by 1998 all standardized enriched cereal grain products sold in 

the United States include 140 micrograms of folic acid per 100 grams, and allowed for the addition 

of folic acid to breakfast cereals, corn grits, infant formulas, medical foods, and foods for special 

dietary use. Before fortification, about 4,130 U.S. babies had neural tube defects each year and nearly 

Regulations for food labels

In November 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule that would require the 

amount of trans fatty acids present in foods to be included in the product’s Nutrition Facts panel. In 2003, the 

rule became final with requirements for labeling beginning in 2006.

In its November 1999 proposed rule, FDA described the nutrition research studies that it relied on. It had to 

establish that dietary intake of trans fats could be linked to adverse health outcomes—increases in LDL-C would 

imply a consequent increase in rates of coronary heart disease (CHD). FDA also had to gauge the magnitude 

of the problem, showing how much trans fats Americans were consuming. And it had to quantify how different 

types of Government intervention would improve health outcomes. FDA relied on studies published between 

1988 and 1995 (p. 41442 in final rule). The most problematic studies were those examining the linkage between 

dietary intake of trans fats and CHD. These included controlled intervention studies, which tested for a causal 

relationship between trans fat consumption and CHD, and epidemiological studies, which established associations between trans fat consumption and CHD. FDA interpreted the results from published studies as “evolving.” 

Some studies pointed to trans fats raising LDL-C levels (the primary risk factor for CHD) as much as cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acids, while others found no adverse effect. Between the November 1999 proposal 

and the July 2003 final rule, additional studies reinforced FDA’s conclusion that trans fat consumption raised 

LDL-C levels and increased CHD risk.

FDA’s estimates of the intake of trans fats were established by drawing on several sources, but largely came from 

USDA’s Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and from USDA-ERS figures on fats and oils production and food disappearance data (recognized as an overestimate).

FDA relied on its own survey of consumer behavior to gauge how much consumers might respond to finding 

trans fats on nutrition facts panels. While many studies link diet and health outcomes, behavioral studies of label 

use relevant to trans fats are still few. 

In November 2013, FDA announced that additional scientific evidence led the agency to tentatively determine 

that partially hydrogenated oils—the primary source of trans fats in manufactured foods—are not generally 

recognized as safe for any use in food. If the tentative determination is supported, partially hydrogenated oils 

would be considered food additives and their use in food manufacturing subject to regulation. 

Driving the tentative determination were new research findings. FDA’s own studies pointed to trans fat consumption trending lower as foods were reformulated. However, new studies of health risks pointed to increased risk 

of CHD from any amount of trans fat. Other new studies found, with varying degrees of certainty, that trans fat 

consumption may worsen insulin resistance or raise diabetes risk. Clearly, as research results unfold, the regulatory process responds. 
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1,200 died. After folic acid fortification, the yearly number of pregnancies affected by neural tube 

defects dropped to about 3,000, and related deaths declined to 840 (CDC, 2004).

The notion that the Federal Government might solve or at least mitigate specific health problems 

by requiring the addition of micronutrients could only come from research demonstrating that such 

micronutrients are critical to avoiding a disease. However, a single research finding is unlikely to 

justify new regulations. Federal rulemaking and regulations are predicated on results from across 

the spectrum of nutrition research. Studies on nutrient metabolism, dietary intake, food consumption 

habits, and the effect of regulations on food choices are all critical links in demonstrating whether 

Federal intervention in dietary issues is worthwhile.

Private-Sector Innovation

As consumers demand healthier food and beverage products, the need for nutrition research to 

underscore these innovative products has grown. One approach to product innovation focuses on 

reformulating conventional food products to increase or decrease particular nutrients such as fat, 

sodium, and fiber. Companies can market these changes to consumers by using health- and nutritionrelated claims, which are regulated by the FDA under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 

1990. In 2009, sales of products with sodium-, fat-, and calorie-related claims reached $73 billion 

(Martinez, 2013). 

Another approach to product innovation, called “functional foods,” is based on the idea that foods 

and drinks can provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. No legal definition exists for functional foods in the United States, and the FDA regulates this type of food according to its classification as conventional food (e.g., garlic, nuts, and tomatoes), modified food (e.g., fortified, enriched, or 

enhanced), a food additive, a dietary supplement, a medical food, or a food for special dietary use 

(Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2009). Functional foods are one of the fastest growing product 

categories in the food and beverage industries. According to Price Waterhouse Coopers (2009), U.S. 

revenues in the functional foods segment are growing at an average annual rate between 8.5 and 20 

percent, whereas overall (food) industry revenue growth is at 1 to 4 percent.

The health connection that qualifies particular foods and beverages as functional foods is established 

through nutrition research. The Institute for Food Technologists outlined a process for bringing functional foods to market, whereby the nutrition research system (1) identifies the relationship between 

a food component and a health outcome, (2) demonstrates efficacy and intake levels, and (3) determines safety at efficacious levels (IFT, 2005). For instance, phytosterols are essential components of 

plant membranes that occur naturally in a variety of foods such as vegetables, fruits, and legumes. 

Nutrition research has shown that daily consumption of 2-3 grams will reduce serum LDL cholesterol and thus lower the risk of coronary heart disease (Demonty et al., 2009). Phytosterols are now 

added to many foods and beverages such as orange juice, cereals, yogurts, and granola bars. 
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The U.S. Nutrition Research System: Nature and Structure

The nutrition research system is foundational in that it generates the new knowledge and technologies that fuel improvements in food, dietary choices, and health outcomes. As such, continuing 

scientific progress toward understanding the relationships between human nutrition and health 

depends on maintaining a productive nutrition research system. This section describes the nature 

of nutrition research, the institutions that support nutrition research, available data, and trends in 

Federal support.

The field of human nutrition research is diverse and multidisciplinary. In 1980, the Joint 

Subcommittee on Human Nutrition Research formed by the Office of Science and Technology 

Policy defined nutrition research as those studies producing “new knowledge to improve the understanding of nutrition as it relates to human health and disease” (GAO, 1982). This definition includes 

disciplines such as food and plant sciences, biomedicine, behavioral science, education, communication, and economics. It cuts across the full research spectrum from basic science to health policy and 

from discovery to application.

The support for nutrition research activities comes from a variety of sources. In the private sector, 

profits motivate companies to innovate, undertake in-house research and development (R&D), and 

sponsor research in universities and government labs. Data on U.S. private R&D investments into 

nutrition research are not publicly available. However, private sector nutrition research is part of total 

R&D investments in the food and beverage industries, and we can gauge these latter investments. 

In 2007, Statistics Canada conducted a representative survey of Canadian companies active in the 

functional foods and natural health products markets (i.e., dietary supplements), which are the nutrition research-intensive market segments in the food and beverage industries. The survey indicated 

that 68 percent of the firms in the functional foods segment and 48 percent in the natural health 

products segment were engaged in R&D and spent a total of 148 million Canadian dollars in 2007 

(Cinnamon, 2009). USDA’s Economic Research Service estimated total R&D investments by the 

food and beverage industry at over $3.2 billion in 2006 (Fuglie et al., 2011). Even a small fraction of 

this total devoted to nutrition research would represent a substantial private-sector commitment.

Universities and other nonprofit organizations also support U.S. nutrition research. Here again, 

publicly available data are limited so it is difficult to draw precise inferences about relative magnitudes of financial support. The National Science Foundation’s Higher Education R&D Survey is 

the main source for information on R&D conducted at U.S. universities and colleges. A breakout 

by academic discipline is not available, but the survey data are broken out according to the type of 

funding source. From 2001 to 2011, higher education institutions funded an average of 19 percent 

of total university- and college-performed R&D, and other nonprofit sources such as foundations 

funded an average of 7 percent (NSF, 2013). As human nutrition research is likely to be only a small 

fraction of total university R&D, the level of support provided by research and nonprofit organizations appears to be small relative to industry and government sources.

Federal and State governments appear to be the largest supporters of U.S. nutrition research, 

which makes sense from an economics perspective. Nutrition research produces new knowledge 

that economists associate with “public goods.” With public goods, the incentives driving private 

companies to invest are small even when the benefits that consumers enjoy are large (Ribaudo et 

al., 2008). The problem is that private companies may not be able to earn enough profits from the 

products, services, and technologies that flow from their nutrition research investments to make 
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such investments worth undertaking. For example, the genetic research that led to the identification 

of the “obesity gene” was not immediately or eminently marketable. Public support can offset this 

problem by funding research in areas where private companies are unwilling to invest (or invest very 

little) due to insufficient incentives. 

Federal Support for Nutrition Research

Systematic data on Federal support for nutrition research and training are available from the Human 

Nutrition Research Information Management (HNRIM) system.4 This database is maintained by 

the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Each participating Federal agency provides its own data 

on active nutrition projects each year to form the HNRIM database. Since 1985, when the HNRIM 

database became operational, participating agencies have included the U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services (DHHS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and six other Federal 

agencies (the Department of Veteran Affairs, the Agency for International Development, the U.S. 

Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation, and 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

The HNRIM database includes records for active nutrition research and training projects in each 

fiscal year. A multiyear project has multiple records in the database, one for every year the project is 

active. Across time, new projects enter the database, and completed projects are no longer reported 

to the database. This change in the number of active projects is used to characterize the evolution of 

Federal support for nutrition research for fiscal years 1985 through 2009.5 Over that 25-year period, 

HNRIM contains 100,405 project records.6 Project records in HNRIM also include a nutrition 

percentage (from 1 to 100) that adjusts for the relevance of the project to the field of nutrition. When 

each annual project is scaled by its nutrition relevance, the total number of federally supported nutrition research projects in HNRIM for fiscal years 1985 through 2009 is 67,958. In this analysis, all 

project statistics are calculated and reported accounting for the nutrition percentages.

To document the nature of and trends in nutrition research and training, our analysis uses the 

number and distribution of active project counts contained in HNRIM.7 Based on analysis of available data on project award amounts, we concluded that project counts better characterize Federal 

research trends (see the appendix for more details). Overall, the HNRIM data on financial awards 

are not comprehensive enough to perform a comparative analysis. 

Other than DHHS, all Federal agencies that support nutrition research reported $0 as the financial 

support for a significant number of projects. For USDA projects, 15 percent show $0 as the funding 

amount. For the six remaining agencies, about 63 percent of the projects report $0 as the funding 

amount. It is possible for a project to be completed after its planned end date, and some projects 

operate for a time through no-cost extensions. Reporting $0 would be appropriate for no-cost extensions, but it is also possible that the financial data for these projects are missing from HNRIM. 

4We could not find any data sources that report human nutrition research by State governments.

5In this report all data are presented in fiscal years (FY) and are referred to simply as years. The most recent data 

reported are for FY 2009 (October 1, 2008 – September 30, 2009). The method for assigning projects to the field of nutrition and its subfields (or topic areas) changed in ways that make it impossible to compare pre- and post-2009 data.

6Throughout this report, the annual number of active project records is simply referred to as projects, even though 

these may be ongoing components of broader multiyear research efforts.

7This report does not count Federal support for company innovation or commercialization activities, facilities construction, or repair as part of research or training. Research and training projects are not analyzed separately and the 

combination is simply referred to as nutrition research. 
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Because no-cost extensions represent ongoing nutrition research and these projects cannot, with 

certainty, be distinguished from projects missing financial data, we present overall trends in Federal 

support using expenditures and project counts. When analyzing research area components, project 

counts are used. 

National Trends in Federal Support for Nutrition Research

Over the last decade, the DHHS and USDA supported almost all Federal nutrition research projects. 

HNRIM data show that since 1998, the other 6 agencies reported 51 projects, or less than 0.2 percent 

of the total. In the mid-1990s, the other six agencies made up a more significant share. In 1993 and 

1994, they accounted for 17 percent of active nutrition research projects, but by 2005 their share had 

dropped to zero. Although the HNRIM database does not show any active projects for the other six 

agencies after 2005, one cannot conclude that these agencies did not support any nutrition-related 

research. Participation in the HNRIM system is voluntary, and reporting may have stopped for other 

reasons. Nevertheless, as projects supported by agencies other than DHHS and USDA are a consistently small share of the total, for the remainder of this discussion we refer to the totals of DHHS 

and USDA as the Federal total, and our focus is on projects supported by DHHS and USDA.8

Federal financial investments into nutrition research more than doubled from 1985 to 2009, growing at 

an average annual rate of 3 percent (fig. 2). All of this growth is due to increased DHHS funding, especially between 1999 and 2003. In those 5 years, Congress implemented its plan to double the budget 

of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the lead agency within DHHS supporting nutrition 

research. USDA funding fell at an average annual rate of 1.4 percent between 1985 and 2009. 

When charted by active Federal nutrition projects, the overall Federal and agency-specific results 

are quite similar (fig. 3); however, the “kink” in the expenditures trend from the doubling of 

the NIH budget is no longer apparent. This suggests that increasing project size (i.e., dollars 

per project) absorbed a lot of the NIH budget increase. Nevertheless, the number of federally 

supported nutrition research projects more than doubled from 1985 to 2009, growing at an average 

annual rate of 2.9 percent. Nutrition projects numbered 2,178 in 1985 and 4,419 in 2009. This 

growth was the result of increasing support by DHHS and decreasing support by USDA. From 

1999 to 2009, the number of DHHS-supported projects grew 7.4 percent annually while USDAsupported projects fell by 2.8 percent. 

The aggregate trends in Federal support for nutrition research largely reflect budget appropriations 

to DHHS, particularly the NIH. As the NIH budget grew, the share allocated to nutrition research 

remained nearly constant and averaged about 4 percent per year from 1985 through 2009 (see 

HNRIM reports at http://hnrim.nih.gov/yearlyreports.aspx). For USDA, there may have been some 

reallocation of research effort. Since 1985, USDA public research expenditures remained nearly 

constant as the number of active nutrition research projects declined (http://www.ers.usda.gov/dataproducts/agricultural-research-funding-in-the-public-and-private-sectors.aspx). These trends tipped 

8The Federal roles of the USDA and DHHS in human nutrition research were established in the National Agricultural 

Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977. That legislation directed the USDA to establish a separate and 

distinct mission to support research into food and human nutrition. It also designated the USDA as lead agency of the 

Federal Government for human nutrition research except for the biomedical aspects that relate to the diagnosis and treatment of disease, which were reserved for the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), which later 

became DHHS. Prior to the passage of the Act, the Secretaries of HEW and USDA recognized their mutual interests in 

human nutrition research and signed an agreement for sharing their responsibilities (Rosenberg, 2009).
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the balance of Federal support for nutrition research heavily toward DHHS. In the 25-year period 

covered by the data, the share of total Federal support provided by the USDA fell from 29 to 14 

percent, on net, with a concurrent rise in the DHHS share to 86 percent by 2009. 

Figure 2

Federal expenditures for nutrition research projects, 1985-2009

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management data 

and the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index.

DHHS expenditure – real 2007 dollars (millions) USDA expenditure – real 2007 dollars (millions)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

1985 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09

Total (left axis) 

DHHS (left axis)

USDA (right axis)

Figure 3

Federally supported nutrition research projects, 1985-2009

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management data.

Count of active projects

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

1985 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09

Total

DHHS

USDA
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As the balance of Federal support shifted toward the DHHS, the mechanisms used to administer 

Federal support also changed. Federal support mechanisms—the channels through which Federal 

agencies try to stimulate and advance human nutrition research—have a direct influence on the 

success of research activities and the accumulation of new knowledge. These mechanisms significantly influence the topics studied, the selection processes determining who gets support, the type 

of research activities (i.e., laboratory, clinical, social, etc.), and how research findings are communicated and used. 

The first major distinction within the structure of Federal support is between intramural and extramural research. Intramural research consists of projects initiated and performed by researchers 

employed by the Federal Government, typically within Government-owned facilities. Maintaining 

an intramural research program provides the Federal Government with the capacity to anticipate 

and respond to public needs in a timely and directed fashion. It is often described as using the 

unique position of a Federal agency to initiate collaborative and translational research intended to 

facilitate the movement of research findings into practice (http://irp.nih.gov/about-us/what-is-theirp).9 Within DHHS, the NIH performs most nutrition-related intramural research on its main 

campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The nutrition topics investigated are determined by the various 

NIH Institutes and Centers. In 2009, The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney 

Diseases performed the largest share of nutrition-related intramural research, with 33 percent of the 

active projects. In contrast, the bulk of USDA’s intramural nutrition-related research is supported 

through the Human Nutrition Research Center Program, which maintains a geographically dispersed 

network of six nutrition research centers located near research universities. These centers performed 

over 94 percent of all USDA nutrition-related intramural projects in 2009. 

The largest and most diverse category of Federal support, extramural research, is performed by nonFederal organizations using Federal funding. Non-Federal organizations include State governments, 

universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, and private companies. Federal extramural 

support is obtained by these organizations through either “formula” or “non-formula” mechanisms. 

Formula mechanisms use algorithms defined in the statutes authorizing formula-based Federal 

programs. For instance, according to the Hatch Act of 1887 (as amended by Public Law 107-293 

in 2002), 52 percent of total authorized funds that go to State agricultural experiment stations 

are distributed in proportion to the State’s share of U.S. rural and farm populations. For nutrition 

research, the USDA is the only agency that administers Federal programs requiring a formula allocation method. 

With non-formula funding mechanisms, Federal agencies have greater discretion over the topics, 

activities, and budgets associated with research support. For instance, Federal agencies regularly 

design and disseminate requests for applications (RFAs), which are announcements of research 

funding opportunities in particular areas of interest. These funds are distributed through contracts, 

grants, and cooperative agreements. Non-formula funding includes earmarks, agency missionoriented procurement, as well as competitive (e.g., peer-reviewed) research support. 

Maintaining a productive nutrition research system requires understanding how differences between 

non-formula, formula, and intramural funding mechanisms impact the type of research performed 

9Translational research is a broad category of research activities that are intended to facilitate the application of basic 

research and thereby improve health and well-being. The National Cancer Institute, Translational Research Working 

Group, provides a more detailed definition at www.cancer.gov/researchandfunding/trwg/TRWG-definition-and-TRcontinuum. 
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and the rate of scientific discovery. All the mechanisms provide money for research, but the 

costs and behavioral restrictions they impose on researchers can be quite different. Each mechanism creates incentives that shape the choices and behaviors of researchers. For example, some 

researchers regard formula funding as predictable and flexible because the statutory rules are stable 

and the selection of topics is delegated to the researchers’ home institution (Huffman and Evenson, 

2006). Other researchers favor competitive Federal mechanisms using merit-based, peer-review 

selection because this system is thought to improve the quality of supported research (PCAST 2012). 

A growing academic literature is focused on understanding how research incentives influence the 

selection of topics, knowledge discovery and dissemination, commercial orientation, and research 

innovation (Aghion et al., 2005; Azoulay et al., 2011; Dasgupta and David, 1994; Gans and Murray, 

2012; Manso, 2011). Some of the incentive design characteristics for promoting innovation and 

creativity identified in this literature include an emphasis on long-term outcomes with a high tolerance for initial failure, low researcher-time costs for preparing research proposals, few restrictions 

on how findings are communicated, and flexibility to pursue unanticipated lines of inquiry as 

research progresses. 

From 1985 through 2009, project support through non-formula extramural mechanisms grew by 

17 percentage points from 69 to 86 percent (fig. 4). This is the dominant form of support used by 

DHHS. In the same period, formula-based extramural projects declined from 20 to 8 percent of 

active projects, and intramural projects fell from 11 to 6 percent. The trends reflect the emergence 

of DHHS as the principal Federal agency supporting nutrition research, as well as administrative decisions to increase the proportion of non-formula support, particularly competitive grants at 

USDA. However, the implications of these changes for the nutrition research system are unknown. 

Collection of new data that link Federal mechanisms to research outcomes would be needed before 

the effects of these changes on knowledge discovery and dissemination could be assessed.

Figure 4

Federal support by type of funding mechanism, 1985-2009

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management data.

Share of all nutrition research projects (percent) Share of all nutrition research projects (percent)

0

10

20

30

40

50

0

20

40

60

80

100

1985 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09

Non-formula (left axis)

Formula (right axis)

Intramural (right axis)
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Federal Portfolio of Nutrition Research Areas and 

Research Performers

From 1985 to 2009, agency budget appropriations largely explained the aggregate trends in 

Federal support for human nutrition research. These aggregate trends altered the structure of 

Federal support by changing the funding balance among Federal agencies. To the extent that 

USDA and DHHS have different missions, use different research funding mechanisms, and 

support different performers within the nutrition research system, these and other influences may 

have shifted the distribution of Federal support between nutrition research topics and between the 

organizations that perform the research. 

Defining Portfolio Shares Using HNRIM

The Human Nutrition Research Information Management (HNRIM) data system identifies the nature 

of the nutrition research conducted within each project. Federal agencies reporting to the system assign 

1 or more of 37 nutrition subfield (here, topic area) codes to each project.10 Using these topic area 

codes, we defined the portfolio of Federal support as shares (in percentage form) distributed across 

each nutrition topic in the HNRIM classification scheme. Some projects naturally address multiple 

topics. For example, in 2004 the USDA supported a project titled “obesity prevention for preschool 

children.” This project was assigned to three topic areas: infant/child nutrition, obesity/anorexia/appetite control, and other research in nutrition education. By assigning individual projects to multiple 

topic area codes, the HNRIM system captures the practical reality that projects are often relevant 

to more than one topic area in nutrition research. To construct the portfolio of shares, we parse each 

project that is assigned to multiple topic areas into the individual components.

We calculated the percentage of projects relevant to each topic by dividing the number of projects 

assigned to that topic by the total number of project assignments across all 37 topic area codes. 

Dividing by the total number of assignments from all active projects normalizes the project counts 

by the level of support. In other words, these shares reflect the distribution of Federal support to each 

of the 37 nutrition topic areas within a portfolio of fixed size.

Grouping research projects by 37 distinct codes is encyclopedic but cumbersome to present. 

Distinctions among some codes may be too fine and too numerous for an overview of nutrition 

support. Fortunately, the HNRIM system provides a means of organizing the codes into six broader 

research categories:

1. Research on Normal Nutritional Requirements Throughout the Life Cycle

The lifecycle research area includes all projects that have some relevance to the study and 

understanding of how normal human nutritional needs change for people in different stages 

of life. This area contains five topic areas: maternal nutrition, infant/child nutrition (0-12 

years), adolescent nutrition (13-18 years), adult nutrition (19-65 years), and nutrition of the 

elderly (65+ years).

10In 1980, the Joint Subcommittee on Human Nutrition Research developed a 34-code classification system for human 

nutrition research that was expanded to 35 codes in 1985. Two codes were added in 1999 for research relevant to nutrition 

supplements, and the HNRIM database also includes 6 codes for areas of special interest to the NIH. Our analysis is 

based on the 37-code system used by both USDA and DHHS (ICHNR, 1996). 
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Selected project title examples:

• Calcium and Phosphorus Nutrition in High-Risk Infants

• Relation Between Nutritional State and Aging.

2. Research on the Role of Nutrition in Disease, Injury, and Conditions

The disease and conditions area contains all projects that have some relevance to the prevention, amelioration, or treatment of diseases, injuries, infections, or conditions. Medical conditions include all projects that have some relevance for understanding the role of nutrition 

in genetics, function, and the treatment of conditions such as obesity or anorexia. This area 

contains 11 topic areas of nutrition research: cardiovascular disease; cancer; trauma; infection and immunology; parenteral/enteral/elemental nutrition; other diseases (e.g., osteoporosis, 

diabetes); obesity/anorexia/appetite control; genetics and nutrition; nutrition and function; 

nutrient interactions; and other conditions.

Selected project title examples:

• Modulation of Xenobiotic Toxicity by Diet

• Acetylation and N-Oxidation and Colorectal Cancer.

3. Research on Nutrient Metabolism and Metabolic Mechanisms 

The metabolism and metabolic mechanisms area contains all projects that examine certain 

nutrient variables as well as those projects examining nutrient mechanisms and metabolism not 

related to research in the areas of life cycle, diseases/injury, and medical conditions given above. 

This area contains nine topic areas: carbohydrates, lipids, alcohols, proteins/amino acids, vitamins, minerals/essential trace elements, water/electrolytes, fiber, and other nutrients in food.

Selected project title examples:

• Regulation of Albumin Synthesis by Amino Acids

• Physico-Chemical Properties of Carbohydrates in Dairy Foods.

4. Research in Food Sciences

The food sciences research area contains all projects within the various disciplines of food 

science that have a nutritional component. This area contains four topic areas: food composition R&D, bioavailability of nutrients, effects of technology on foods and diets, and other 

research in food sciences.

Selected project title examples:

• Improving Physical Properties of Food Proteins by Chemical Modification

• Use of Infrared Heat Processing and Its Impact on Food Quality.

5. Research on Nutrition Monitoring, Education, and Policy

The monitoring, education, and policy area contains all projects that have some relevance to 

the dietary practices and behaviors of human populations. This area contains six topic areas: 

nutritional status R&D, food consumption survey R&D, studies of methods for informing 

and educating the public, other research in nutrition education, studies of dietary practices/

consumption patterns, and the effects of government policy and socioeconomic factors.

Selected project title examples:

• Economic and Behavioral Factors Associated With Food Supplement Usage

• Food Choice Behavior at Point of Purchase: Assessment and Intervention
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6. Research on Dietary Supplements 

The dietary supplements area contains two topic areas that were added to the HNRIM system 

in 1999. This area covers all projects that have some relevance for understanding the composition and function of dietary supplements in human nutrition. The two topic areas are: nutrient 

ingredients of dietary supplements, and botanical and other non-nutrient ingredients in dietary 

supplements.

Selected project title examples:

• Vitamin B-6 Supplementation and Immune Function

• Multi-vitamins, HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) and HIV/AIDS in Uganda.

Distribution of Federal Support Across Major Nutrition Research 

Areas Is Relatively Stable

Figure 5 displays the Federal portfolio in percentage shares across the six major nutrition research 

areas for 1985 and 2009. While nearly a quarter of a century separates these two points in time, 

the distributions across research areas are quite similar. The Disease, Injury, and Conditions and 

Metabolism and Metabolic Mechanisms research areas stand out and together constitute 68 and 

69 percent of the Federal support in 1985 and 2009, respectively. The stability in these combined 

shares, however, masks some significant reallocations across the areas. The Disease, Injury, and 

Conditions area grew in portfolio share from 40 percent in 1985 to 49 percent in 2009, while the 

Metabolism and Metabolic Mechanisms area dropped from 28 to 20 percent. The other research 

area that experienced a significant change in Federal support is Food Sciences. The Federal share of 

active projects in this area declined from 10 to 4 percent. Comparing portfolio shares tells us about 

how the allocation of support changed over time, but does not account for the overall level of Federal 

support. In 2009, the Federal Government supported over twice as many active projects as in 1985. 

Figure 5

Federal nutrition research portfolio: project distributions in 1985 and 2009

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management data.

Share of all nutrition research projects (percent)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1985 (supplements 1999) 2009

Life cycle Disease/

conditions

Metabolic Food

science

Monitor/education/

policy

Supplements
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For the Metabolism and Metabolic Mechanisms research area, the number of projects supported 

increased even though the share in the portfolio declined. For Food Sciences, both the number and 

share declined. 

Share of Support for Disease, Injury, and Conditions Research 

Increased Due to the Obesity, Genetics, and Other Diseases

Topic Areas

Only 3 of the 11 topic areas composing the Disease, Injury, and Conditions research area accounted 

for most of the growth between 1985 and 2009. The Obesity/Anorexia/Appetite Control topic area 

grew fastest, rising from 3.6 percent to 13.1 percent of the Federal portfolio by 2009 (fig. 6). This 

topic was the fastest growing within the individual portfolios of both DHHS and USDA. In the 

DHHS portfolio, the share of active projects related to Obesity/Anorexia/Appetite Control increased 

from 4 percent to 15 percent while the share increased from 1 percent to 7 percent in the USDA 

nutrition portfolio. The Genetics and Other Diseases topic areas also grew over this period.11 The 

share of active projects related to Genetics increased from 3 to 5 percent of the Federal portfolio, 

while the share related to Other Diseases grew from 5 to 9 percent.

Based on the HNRIM data, these increases were not due to changes in the availability of funding 

through the Federal non-formula, formula, and intramural mechanisms.12 Instead, program admin11The Other Diseases topic area includes nutrition research for all diseases except those related to cardiovascular and 

cancer. For instance, this topic area includes diseases related to eyes, liver, kidney, lung, renal, and mental health.

12The Federal share for these topics increased across all the funding mechanisms despite the budget reductions for 

formula and intramural support. This fact rules out funding availability as the driving reason for the observed increases.

Figure 6

Trends in Federal nutrition research portfolio shares for obesity, genetics, and 

other diseases, 1985-2009

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management data.

Share of all nutrition research projects (percent)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1985 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09

Obesity

Other diseases

Genetics
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istrators or nutrition researchers determined these trends as a response to influences, such as scientific research opportunities and public needs.

Share of Support for Metabolism and Metabolic Mechanisms

Research Decreased Due to the Vitamins, Minerals, and 

Proteins Topic Areas

Seven out of the nine topic areas that make up the Metabolism and Metabolic Mechanisms research 

area showed declining shares between 1985 and 2009, with Vitamins, Minerals, and Proteins leading 

the decline (fig. 7). Between 1998 and 2009, the Federal portfolio share related to Vitamins research 

dropped 2.6 percentage points, from 6.3 to 3.7 percent. Minerals and Proteins research experienced 

similar declines. Once again, based on HNRIM data, these decreases were not due to changes 

in funding availability through the mix of support mechanisms, but they reflect the decisions by 

program administrators or nutrition researchers.13 

Share of Support for Food Sciences Decreased Due to the 

Food Composition and Effects of Technology on Foods and 

Diets Topic Areas

USDA provides almost all Federal support for nutrition research in the Food Sciences area, 

supporting 80 percent of active projects (on average) from 1985 to 2009. Due to this, USDA support 

largely determines the overall Federal trend. While the Federal shares for each of the four topic 

13The Federal share for these topics decreased across all the funding mechanisms despite the budget increases for 

non-formula support. This fact rules out funding availability as the driving reason for the observed decreases. We investigated the possibility that the introduction of the dietary supplements research area may have caused a reclassification of 

projects related to vitamins, minerals, and proteins that accelerated the decline in this topic area after 1999. The data do 

not suggest reclassification is the main driver, but it may have contributed.

Figure 7

Trends in Federal nutrition research portfolio shares for vitamins, minerals, and proteins,

1985-2009

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management data.

Share of all nutrition research projects (percent)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1985 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09

Vitamins

Minerals

Proteins
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areas within the Food Sciences fell, the topics leading the decline were the Food Composition and 

the Effects of Technology on Foods and Diets. The Federal share of nutrition research funding going 

to Food Composition research declined steadily from 3.2 percent in 1985 to less than 0.7 percent by 

2009 (fig. 8). The Federal share going to research on the Effects of Technology on Food and Diets

declined from 3.3 percent to 1.2 percent. An increase in the early 1990s seems to reflect the establishment of at least one new food science and nutrition research center by the USDA as authorized in 

the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990.

The Portfolio of Federally Supported Organizations That Perform 

Nutrition Research 

Federally supported nutrition research is undertaken by a variety of different organizations. These 

performing institutions include Federal and State governments, universities and colleges, private 

companies, medical schools, hospitals, research organizations, and foundations. The distribution of 

Federal support across these organizations not only reflects the location of skilled research personnel, 

but also reflects other legal and institutional factors. For instance, the USDA has a unique Federal-State 

research partnership dating back to the creation of land-grant colleges through the Morrill Act of 1862 

and the initiation of formula-based funding for these institutions first authorized by the Hatch Act of 

1887. In this partnership, certain universities and colleges are designated by their State legislatures or 

Congress as cooperating “land-grant” institutions and receive funds on the basis of statutory formulas. 

Every U.S. State and territory, as well as the District of Columbia, has at least one land-grant institution 

(APLU, 2012). In addition to these legally based reasons to receive Federal support, performing institutions must also have organizational missions that are consistent with those of the particular Federal 

agency that provides the funds. So, for instance, nutrition research conducted by medical schools and 

hospitals is predominantly supported by DHHS and not by USDA. 

Figure 8

Trends in Federal nutrition research portfolio shares for food composition and technology,

1985-2009

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management data.

Share of all nutrition research projects (percent)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

1985 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09

Technology on foods and diets

Food composition
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To examine the organizations performing federally supported nutrition research, we classified each 

organization into one of five groups. The first group, Government, includes researchers who work 

for governmental agencies and consists mostly of research performed in DHHS and USDA facilities 

supported through intramural funding, but also includes a few State agencies. The second category 

includes land-grant universities and colleges that receive formula funding from the USDA. The data 

show that nutrition support was widely distributed among these schools. Almost all 1890 land-grant 

institutions, which are historically Black universities that were established as land-grant institutions 

under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, received some nutrition support from 1985 to 2009. The third 

group consists of non-land-grant universities and colleges. These research institutions do not receive 

formula funding from the USDA. Private companies that receive Federal support for nutrition 

research comprise group four. The final group, Other, is mostly medical schools and hospitals, but 

also includes not-for-profit research institutes, foundations, and associations. 

Figure 9 illustrates how the portfolio of federally supported organizations that perform nutrition 

research changed over the 25-year period covered by the HNRIM database. For each group of organizations, two columns are presented. The first column shows the percentage of nutrition projects 

performed by that group in 1985, and the second column shows the percentage for 2009.14 The 

share of Federal nutrition research projects performed by government researchers fell from 12 

percent in 1985 to 6 percent in 2009. Land-grant universities are also performing a smaller share of 

federally supported nutrition projects, a drop of 12 percentage points from 34 percent in 1985 to 22 

percent in 2009. The share of federally supported nutrition research performed by the other three 

groups increased over the 25-year period. Non-land-grant universities and colleges show an increase 

of 11 percentage points to reach 41 percent of total nutrition projects in 2009. The Other category of 

institutions also increased from 22 percent to 29 percent of all active federally supported nutrition 

projects. Private companies performed only a small share of projects in both 1985 and 2009. 

14Due to the large number of performing institutions that required manual searches to determine the proper classification, we only analyzed organizations active in 1985 and 2009. 

Figure 9

Federally supported nutrition research projects by institution type, 1985 and 2009

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management data.

Percent of all nutrition research projects

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Government Land-grant

universities

Non-land-grant

universities

Companies Other

1985 2009
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Conclusion

The U.S. nutrition research system is a vital component of the larger communication network 

linking nutritional content to dietary choices and health outcomes. It provides the knowledge 

foundation that fuels continued progress toward better health. Understanding the structure and 

function of the U.S. nutrition research system, along with the development of diagnostic indicators, can help identify current and emerging issues, such as the impacts of alternative funding 

mechanisms and policies on research incentives and performance, and research gaps or opportunities requiring further scientific inquiry. 

This report takes a first step in that direction, identifying the range of organizations that sponsor 

nutrition research in the United States and documenting the availability of data on R&D investments. Generally, publicly available data are limited except for Federal investments. The Human 

Nutrition Research Information Management (HNRIM) database documents the R&D investments 

by the main Federal agencies supporting nutrition research, DHHS and USDA. The HNRIM data 

allow us to analyze the level and trends in Federal support across agencies, between topics within 

the field of nutrition research, and among performing institutions. A number of broad observations emerge that may help inform future studies on the vitality and efficiency of the U.S. nutrition 

research system. These are: 

• Measuring and tracking Federal support for nutrition research would improve if the HNRIM 

database expanded to other Federal agencies and offered greater standardization. For instance, 

renewed participation by Federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the U.S. 

Department of Defense would significantly enhance Federal coverage. Standardization across 

agencies of the processes for identifying nutrition projects, coding the project’s nutrition fields, 

and parsing the share of a project’s resources devoted to nutrition would be valuable, especially 

as new computer-based categorization algorithms like the NIH Research Condition and Disease 

Classification system are implemented.

• Based on the HNRIM database, this report identifies major shifts in the underlying funding mechanisms used by Federal agencies to support nutrition research. Each of the mechanisms—formula, 

non-formula, and intramural—use different project selection criteria and impose different costs on 

individual researchers. Future research examining how alternative Federal mechanisms influence 

choice of research topic, results, and productivity could guide policy formulation. 

• As HNRIM has lost coverage of Federal agencies that support nutrition research, its future 

utility in helping answer questions about the size and direction of Federal support for nutrition is 

limited. New initiatives that collect data on private-sector investments in nutrition research would 

provide useful information. 

• The knowledge produced by the U.S. nutrition research system is vital. The volume of knowledge 

produced and the channels through which this knowledge flows are not well documented. Various 

commercial databases such as Elsevier’s Scopus or Thomson-Reuters Web of Science offer extensive information on professional journal publications that may be used to construct indicators 

of knowledge output based on publications and knowledge flows based on citation analysis. The 

patent and trademark data at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could also be used to assess 

nutrition innovation and the commercialization of products and services.
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Appendix—The Relationship Between Project Counts and 

Project Awards

Support for nutrition research can be characterized by the number of projects for which the Federal 

Government provided funding or by the funding itself. If all projects were funded alike—awarded 

the same dollar amount—it would not make any difference whether support was characterized by 

number of projects or by dollars. However, when the average financial award per project changes 

over time, trend analyses using the two approaches will yield different magnitudes, particularly 

when calculating growth rates. 

At the beginning of this study, no project-level financial award amounts were available in HNRIM. 

In an effort to check the validity of using project counts, the authors evaluated other publicly available databases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as potential sources of project-level financial data. The NIH “Awards by Location” Web search page (http://report.nih.gov/award/index.

cfm) inventories annual extramural grant and contract awards for research and training projects. 

Beginning in 1992 (the earliest year), annual project-level data were downloaded, cleaned of obvious 

errors, and appended to form a project-level database containing project IDs and award amounts. 

A matching program was used to standardize the project identification numbers for these data. A 

similar program was written for the HNRIM database. Using these programs, an 88-percent match 

rate was achieved between the two databases, and the financial award amounts were retrieved and 

appended to the HNRIM project records for those NIH extramural projects.

Subsequently, the project-level award amounts associated with the HNRIM database became available. These data significantly improved our information on project-level financial awards by adding 

other Federal agencies such as the USDA, as well as intramural funding amounts. By combining 

these new data to our matched data, we were able to perform a check on the HNRIM financial 

amounts for NIH extramural projects. This check verified the accuracy of the HNRIM financial 

data but also showed that some entries reporting $0 financial awards in HNRIM were not “no-cost” 

extensions, just missing data. Other than DHHS, all Federal agencies that support nutrition research 

report $0 as the funded amount for a significant number of projects. Among USDA projects, 15 

percent report $0 financial awards. For the other 6 agencies, over 63 percent of the project records 

have $0 as the funding amount (table A1). 

Table A1

Financial information for project-year records, 1985-2009 (%)

Federal agencies

Financial data greater 

than $0 DHHS USDA OTHER Total

Yes 70,062 (92%) 18,327 (85%) 1,153 (37%) 89,542 (89%)

No 5,720 (8%) 3,179 (15%) 1,964 (63%) 10,863 (11%)

Total 75,782 21,506 3,117 100,405

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management 

and National Institutes of Health databases
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Consistent results across the project count and expenditure approaches depend on the assumption 

that the average award amount per project remained relatively constant over time. To check this, we 

calculated the average dollars per project for DHHS and USDA using the HNRIM data. To do so, 

we imputed missing financial award data. We separated the project-year records with $0 financial 

awards into two groups: no-cost extensions and missing data. We defined projects as no-cost extensions when they were part of a multiyear project that had at least 1 year of non-zero award information. For these records, the $0 financial award entries in HNRIM are assumed to be correct. For the 

remainder, we imputed a financial award amount based on the average for the agency and fiscal year. 

For example, we used the average award amount for non-missing USDA projects in 2009 to replace 

any missing award data for projects supported by the USDA in 2009. 

For DHHS and USDA, figure A1 presents the trends in average award per project in real dollars.15 

In 1985, an average NIH nutrition project received about $393,000 in annual support. This amount 

peaked at $504,000 in 2001, then declined to $384,000 by 2009. The peak occurred in the middle 

of the 1999-2003 period over which the NIH research budget doubled (in nominal terms). With this 

unusual infusion of funds, project size temporarily increased. Comparing project size in 2009 with 

1985, it appears that project size declined at an average annual rate of 0.1 percent, but regression 

analysis showed no statistically significant linear trend in dollars per project over time. Compared to 

DHHS, USDA project size was more stable. In 1985, USDA nutrition projects received an average 

of about $250,000. By 2009, average project size had decreased to $180,000, which represents an 

average annual decrease of 1.4 percent. Again, regression analysis did not show this decline to be 

statistically different from zero for the 25-year period. 

15Adjustments for inflation were made using the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index, 2007 reference 

year. The index is available at http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/gbiPriceIndexes.html.

Figure A1

Average dollars per nutrition research project, 1985-2009

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service based on Human Nutrition Research Information Management data and the 

Biomedical Research and Development Price Index.

Real 2007 dollars (1,000s)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1985 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09

DHHS

USDA