Project Grant 20266701746006

Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Massachusetts received a $799,993 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310) to develop a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective detection method for inorganic arsenic in high-risk foods for infants and children. The three-year project, initiated February 15, 2026, and concluding February 14, 2029, aligns with the FDA/USDA Close to Zero Initiative and addresses the serious public health risk posed by arsenic contamination in foods such as apple juice, rice, and rice products. The research will integrate green chemistry methods with field-deployable spectroscopic technology to create a detection approach suitable for budget-limited laboratory settings.

Upon successful completion, this project will deliver a green chemistry-based analytical method capable of accurately quantifying inorganic arsenic in vulnerable food categories for use in low-resource environments, including food factories and laboratories with limited instrumentation and space. This innovation will enable the food industry to conduct routine quality and safety assessments and facilitate large-scale regulatory surveys of inorganic arsenic contamination. By preventing the distribution of contaminated products and supporting further risk assessment research, the project is expected to reduce public arsenic exposure and enhance the long-term stability, safety, and sustainability of the food system.