Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition Evidence Center | | Evidence Center News and Notes | Summer 2026 | |
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It’s been an exciting summer at the Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition Evidence Center! We have been busy publishing new research, presenting at national conferences, celebrating team wins, and sharing updates on LinkedIn. In case you missed any of our content, we've rounded up the highlights!
We recently published what is likely the largest scoping review to date in agriculture and environmental toxicology, along with an interactive evidence map; released a suite of systematic reviews on heavy metals and PFAS in human milk and infant formula; presented our research at the Society for Epidemiological Research (SER), American Society for Nutrition (ASN), and Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) annual meetings; and, hosted a workshop at ASN. We also hosted a webinar titled “Evidence Synthesis: Which Method is Right for You.”
If you have any questions or are interested in collaborating, we'd love to hear from you.
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Scoping Review - Contaminants and Agricultural Production of Food for Human Consumption | |
The Evidence Center published what is likely the largest scoping review to date in the field of agriculture and environmental toxicology – and created an interactive evidence map to make this data freely available to you!
This scoping review on agricultural production processes and four heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury) in foods for human consumption was commissioned by the FDA in collaboration with USDA.
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A Suite of Systematic Reviews on Heavy Metals and PFAS in Human Milk and Infant Formula | Infant exposure to environmental contaminants has the potential to interfere with healthy development. Human milk and infant formula are the main foods consumed across infancy and infants develop rapidly, requiring high intakes of foods relative to their body size. Understanding concentrations of potential contaminants in human milk and infant formula and their bioavailability inform estimates of how these foods potentially contribute to overall contaminant exposure from all sources for infants in the U.S. | | | | | | |
Congratulations to our Nutrition and Health Program Lead Lauren O'Connor, PhD, MPH, who was recently elected to serve as the American Society for Nutrition’s director-at-large, food & nutrition policy! Dr. O’Connor will serve a two-year term on ASN’s board of directors starting August 1, 2026. In her role, she will support ASN members who use scientific evidence to develop, establish, and evaluate policies related to food and nutrition.
This summer, Dr. O’Connor also received the 2026 IAFNS - Advancing Food and Nutrition Sciences Emerging Leader Award. This award promotes excellence in nutrition sciences as evidenced by research, leadership, initiative, collaboration, and communication. With previous research experience at USDA and NIH, a curiosity for pressing nutrition topics, a penchant for tackling research challenges, and a commitment to answering important food and nutrition questions, Dr. O’Connor leads critical assessments of the evidence base and advances research methods to move the state of nutrition science forward at the Evidence Center. About the Emerging Leaders Award.
She also played a prominent role at ASN this summer. She presented in the workshop Systematic Reviews: Understanding Quality, Applying Findings, and Driving Impact (see below), moderated a highly insightful discussion on methodological advancements in ultra-processed foods for a packed room of participants and moderated the Postdoctoral Research Award Competition. Dr. O’Connor also received an award for being a top reviewer for the ASN journal, Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal. She received the distinction based on the quality, number, and timeliness of the manuscript reviews she completed.
| | | Learn More about Our Staff in Our Summer Spotlights | | Systematic Reviews: Understanding Quality, Applying Findings, and Driving Impact - Interactive Nutrition 2026 Workshop | | High-quality systematic reviews are foundational to evidence-based guidelines, policies, and practice in nutrition and food science. Yet, assessing the quality of systematic reviews can be subjective and difficult for someone unfamiliar with evidence synthesis methods. After this interactive, hands-on workshop, participants are able to navigate critical components of the systematic review, identify characteristics of high-quality systematic reviews, and interpret and apply findings to inform policy, guidelines, and future research. Several members of our team contributed to making this workshop a success, including our Associate Director Maureen Spill, Nutrition and Health Program Lead Lauren O’Connor, Research Scientist Cassi Leta, Research Analyst Samantha Grounds, and Engagement Team Lead David Weingaertner and Engagement Specialists Laura Niles, and Stella Spyropoulos. | |
Evidence Synthesis: Which Method is Right for You - Webinar | Evidence synthesis encompasses a family of research approaches that systematically compile and draw meaning from bodies of scientific evidence. These approaches are widely used to inform research, policies, programs, and regulations – but selecting the right evidence synthesis method to meet a specific need requires a clear understanding of the available approaches. Hear from our Director Kellie Casavale and Associate Director Maureen Spill. | | | | Society for Epidemiological Research | | | | |
Presentation title: Comparison Group and Non-Random Selection Bias as Potential Modifiers on the Relationship between SNAP Participation and Obesity Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
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| | American Society for Nutrition | NUTRITION 2026 | | | | |
Presentation title: Participation in SNAP and Diet Quality Measured by the Healthy Eating Index: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
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Poster presentation title: Participation in SNAP and Child and Adolescent Growth and Risk of Obesity: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Evidence
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| | Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior | | | | |
Presentation title: Unsettled Science: A Systematic Review on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Blood Pressure
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Poster presentation title: A Systematic Review on SNAP and Food Insecurity: Does Longitudinal Research Address Non-Random Selection into the Program?
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| | Harvesting science. Delivering answers. | | | | |
