Up until now,there has been no non-profit organization in the U.S. devoted to conducting research on food ingredients Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  With FIHRI, we now have a funding and distribution mechanism for supporting this badly needed research.  There are numerous food additives and ingredients in our food supply that recent research indicates are factors in the development of neurodevelopment disorders such as Autism and ADHD and chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.  More research is needed to find out how these various factors are leading to these adverse health effects. 

There are many stakeholders involved in the current food distribution system and all have differing views on the severity of the problem.  For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends removing certain food additives from a hyperactive or inattentive child's diet. http://www.feingold.org/Research/PDFstudies/AAP08.pdf The AAP also recommends eliminating all mercury exposures from the child's environment, including diet. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/108/1/197 Mercury has been found in the food supply by American and Canadian researchers. Food manufacturers are not going to be motivated to remove harmful ingredients from their food products until consumer demand for their current product formulations drop. One of the roles of FIHRI is to provide consumers with the information they need to make informed choices about the foods they buy.   

How will the funding that you provide be distributed so that research can be done?  Once we have collected enough funding from sponsors like you, we will be able to fund our first round of research projects.  Our goal is to collect $175,000 at which point we'll put out a request for proposal (RFP).  Our first target area of research will likely be in the area of organophosphate (OP) pesticide exposure because OP pesticide exposure has been linked to both insulin resistance and autism.  We will award funding to the researchers who submit the best proposals for how they are going to identify which foods are most frequently contaminated by OP or how they are going to show the mechanism of OP toxicity as it relates to insulin resistance or the development of autism.  Some of the first studies to be funded may be pilot studies, depending on how much money we have to work with.  Once the awardees have completed their research, they will be required to publish their findings in a peer reviewed open access journal that allows the public to read their report at no charge. 

As a sponsor, you will become an official FIHRI member and be eligible to receive our newsletter that tells you about the latest research results reported world wide on food additives and food ingredients as these substances relate to human health.  You will also benefit from the knowledge that you contributed to research that otherwise would not likely get done.  Remember, we are the only non-profit organization in the U.S. devoted to conducting research on food ingredients already recognized as safe and food additives already in use.  If it were not for you, the consumer, we would not be able to operate and fund the research that needs to be done.  You are awesome!!!