• Today, FDA announced its sponsorship of a series of three workshops to be hosted by the National Academies’ Food and Nutrition Board in September and October 2023 to discuss the usefulness of meta-analysis as a tool for nutrition research and developing nutrition policy. These workshops will explore the evidence on methods for conducting, interpreting and integrating the results of meta-analyses for use in nutrition research, developing nutrition policy, and informing nutrition regulatory decision-making.

• The use and integration of meta-analyses in the nutrition field involve unique challenges due to issues specific to nutrition studies. The FDA develops and implements evidence-based policies and regulations related to food labeling and labeling claims, and expert input and recommendations from these workshops will be helpful to the FDA. The schedule of workshops, as well as links to their registration, are as follows:

  • September 19 from 12PM-2PM ET: “Use of Meta-Analyses in Nutrition Research and Policy: Planning of Meta-Analysis”

  • September 25 from 12PM-2PM ET: “Use of Meta-Analyses in Nutrition Research and Policy: Best Practices of Conducting Meta-Analysis”

  • October 3 from 12PM-2PM ET: “Use of Meta-Analyses in Nutrition Research and Policy: Interpretation and Application of Meta-Analysis to Evaluate the Totality of Evidence”