Advanced Food Manufacturing

Importance of Advanced Food Manufacturing

Advanced food manufacturing encompasses a broad range of sciences and technologies including but not limited to engineering, processing technologies, packaging, sanitation, high-speed automation, industrial robotics, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, data sciences, information technology, digital twins, mathematical modeling, computer simulation, quality testing, and safety inspections. Cutting-edge food technologies can streamline logistics, extend shelf life, ensure safety, utilize by-products, and minimize food waste and loss. These attributes, among others, contribute to the nation’s economic prosperity.

• Expanding marketability of food products
• Improving quality, safety, nutritional value, convenience and affordability of foods
• Creating food products with increased shelf-life to reduce food waste
• Increasing the resilience of U.S. food supply chains
• Enhancing sustainability by developing innovative technologies that use less energy, water, materials, and other resources
• Creating highly skilled and higher-paid job opportunities

NIFA’s Impact 

NIFA invests in a range of research, education, and Extension projects that aim to advance food manufacturing and the President’s Make America Healthy Again initiative. 

Selected Examples:

• Thermal and non-thermal processing technology to improve quality and nutrition and to ensure food safety.
• Food packaging materials and technologies towards utilization of sustainable materials
• Nanosensors that can detect contaminants, including pathogens or allergens
• Devices for detecting agrochemicals residues in food products.
• Improved scientific understanding and technologies to improve the digestibility, nutrient content, and palatability of food
• Real-time, on-site precision monitoring systems of individual nutrient components, providing precise, real-time analysis

Relevant NIFA AFRI Programs

• Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)
  • Foundational and Applied Science Program
    • Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health (FSNH) program area
      • A1332 Food Safety and Defense
      • A1343 Food and Human Health
      • A1344 Diet, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases
      • A1366 Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance Across the Food Chain
      • A1364 Innovations in Food Manufacturing Technologies
  • Crosscutting Programs
    • A1181 Agricultural Biosecurity
    • A1402 Agricultural Microbiomes in Plant Systems and Natural Resources
    • A1511 Nanotechnology for Agricultural and Food Systems
    • A1541 Data Science for Food and Agricultural Systems (DSFAS)
    • A1701 Critical Agricultural Research and Extension (CARE)
    • A1712 Rapid Response to Weather Events Across Food and Agricultural Systems
    • A1713 Rapid Response to Emerging and Re-emerging Pest and Disease Events Across Food and Agricultural Systems
    • A1811 Commodity Board Co-Funding Topics
  • Education and Workforce Development
    • A7101 Predoctoral Fellowships
    • A7201 Postdoctoral Fellowships
    • A7401 Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates
    • A7501 Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy
    • A7601 Agricultural Workforce Training Grants
    • A7801 Food and Agricultural Non-formal Education
  • A9201 Strengthening Agricultural Systems (SAS)

Relevant Non-AFRI Programs

• 4-H Youth Development Program
• 1890 Institution Teaching, Research and Extension Capacity Building Grants (CBG) Program
• Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH) Competitive Education Grants Program
• Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP)
• Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program
• Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR)
• CYFAR 4-H Military Partnership Professional Development & Technical Assistance (CMPC-PDTA)
• Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans (AgVets)
• Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)
• Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program
• Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program
• Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program
• Higher Education Challenge Grants Program
• Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program
• Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program (HSI)
• Master Food Preserver Programs
• National Center for Home Food Preservation
• New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE)
• Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative
• Regional Rural Development Centers
• Resident Instruction Grants (RIIA) and Distance Education Grants (DEG) for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas
• Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program
• SPECA Grant Program
• Small Business Innovation Research - Food Science and Nutrition (SBIR 8.5)
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program
• Tribal Colleges Extension Grant Program
• Women and Minorities in STEM (WAMS)

Relevant Collaborations 

Closer to Zero 

NIFA collaborates with the Food and Drug Administration on the Closer to Zero initiative, which is designed to reduce dietary exposure to contaminants to levels as low as possible, while maintaining access to nutritious foods. 

Relevant NIFA Topic Pages 

• Community Nutrition
• Food Loss and Waste
• Food Products
• Food Safety
• Food and Nutrition Security
• Local and Regional Food Systems
• Nutrition and Food Systems
• Nutrition Education
• Prevention of Diet-Related Diseases and Disparities
• The Science of Food 

Consumer Resources 

• Food Safety Topics USDA National Agricultural Library
• USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
• Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria 
• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Recalls and Public Health Alerts 

Food Science Research Resources

• USDA ERS - Food Safety
• Food Safety Research Priorities & Studies Food Safety and Inspection Service
• NAREEE Advisory Board
• Food Safety Research Information Office