The New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health (IFNH) underscores Rutgers commitment and focuses its initiatives in the areas of food, nutrition and health. The over-riding mission of the IFNH is to make New Jersey not just the Garden State, but also the Healthy State. The Institute draws on the strengths of the entire university as it physically co-locates and strategically aligns the diverse competencies and deep capacity of Rutgers to address society’s major unmet needs. As a top priority, the Institute will focus on ways to stem the epidemic rise in obesity, and obesity-related disorders such as cardiometabolic disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Recognizing that many adult diseases have their origins in childhood, and by tapping into the power of nutritional genomics, the Institute will focus on "pre-emptive nutrition" and "social-environmental" strategies to achieve its mission. As a global center of academic excellence, the Institute will have a special role in directing research programs, providing advanced training, and developing community centric educational programs that prepare scientists and healthcare professionals for the 21st Century. The Institute will operate in the modern paradigm of translational science to quickly move fundamental research into the clinic for proof of principle and on to the community where it can be reduced to practice.

The Institute will also provide a think tank of experts for the development of "evidence-based" nutrition policy that is integral to our nation’s health economic strategy. The Institute will be physically located on Cook Campus and be characterized by its community centric focus, interactive teaching environments, open concept laboratories, and creative thought-space to enable intellectual collisions and teaching moments. The building is presently in the design phase with the final architectural proposal expected in October of 2010 with building completion anticipated in 2014. Recruitment of the Institute’s leadership team, new faculty, and advisory boards are proceeding in parallel with the construction of the building.