The Ohio State University

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About Us

Mission

The CAFFRE mission is to serve as a catalyst for research and development of novel functional foods and components that will enhance health and quality of life for people of all ages.

Background

The surge in corporate interest for the development of new foods, ingredients, and crops with unique qualities delivering health benefits spurred experienced and recognized OSU collaborators to develop the Center. CAFFRE is interdisciplinary in nature and is comprised of a diverse group of well known scientists, medical professionals, and policy makers that have experience working with industry partners.

“From Crops to the Clinic to the Consumer” is the paradigm that CAFFRE created to define OSU expertise into a research center positioned to interact with academic institutions, industry, government agencies, trade associations and boards, and policy agencies and centers to enhance the availability of functional foods that promote health. The CAFFRE team is able to research the entire spectrum in the process and development of functional foods, ingredients, or crops targeted to protect health or enhance quality of life.

Objectives

• To enhance collaboration among investigators of diverse disciplines such as horticulture, crop science, food science, nutrition, medicine, and public health.
• To conduct research to study efficacy and safety of newly developed functional foods through laboratory protocols, mechanistic-based research, pre-clinical models, and human translational research.
• To develop unique nutritionally-enhanced functional food products for disease prevention and control.
• To disseminate scientifically sound information on health promoting functional foods and components to scientists, healthcare professionals, food industry representatives, and consumers.
• To collaborate with strategic food industry and business partners to identify viable opportunities to market functional foods and components with demonstrated health promoting properties.