American Heart Association Launches Food Data Visualization Challenge to Transform Nutritional Communication

The American Heart Association has launched its second annual Periodic Table of Food Initiative data visualization challenge, themed "Future Food + Nutrition Facts," which runs until January 30, 2026. This interdisciplinary competition seeks to transform complex biomolecular and environmental data into actionable insights for consumers, policymakers, industry leaders and researchers by reimagining how nutritional information is presented to the public.

Participants will work with molecular data from The PTFI, described as one of the most advanced open-access food composition databases in the world. The initiative is building a comprehensive database that includes molecular profiles of thousands of foods worldwide, revealing the biomolecular complexity of food beyond calories and macronutrients while highlighting connections between food, health, biodiversity and sustainability. Competition participants will have access to comprehensive profiles and data informing the origin, structure and relevance of a wide array of whole and processed foods from The PTFI's scientific database available at https://foodperiodictable.org.

"This is a translational competition meant to rethink what we know about food, how we share that data in compelling ways and how it informs action," said Selena Ahmed, Ph.D., global director of The Periodic Table of Food Initiative and dean of Food EDU at the American Heart Association. The challenge encourages collaboration between scientists and designers, farmers and nutritionists, and other food system stakeholders to translate molecular food data into more precise daily decisions that nourish both human and planetary health.

The PTFI is an initiative of RF Catalytic Capital Inc. managed by the American Heart Association and the Alliance of Biodiversity and the Center for Tropical Agriculture, with funding for this data challenge supported by a financial grant from The Rockefeller Foundation. John de la Parra, Ph.D., director of Food Initiatives at The Rockefeller Foundation, emphasized the challenge's significance: "For the first time in history, we are able to detect the full richness and complexity of all the chemistry contained in the world's food biodiversity. But how do we communicate that? How do we make it mean something, have impact and ultimately improve human and planetary health?"

Participants will create visualizations that move beyond traditional nutrition facts, showing how food information can better reflect nutritional quality, molecular diversity, sustainability impact or cultural relevance. The global competition includes two tracks: a general design category and a specialized research category for scientists submitting technical summaries. The challenge will award $40,000 in cash prizes, with $20,000 for the top entry. Winning visualizations will be showcased at an upcoming PTFI Science Symposium in 2026 and across digital platforms. Top entries will be evaluated on creativity, scientific accuracy, accessibility and real-world relevance. Additional information about the American Heart Association's research programs can be found at https://www.heart.org.

This initiative comes as global food systems grow increasingly complex, with consumers seeking clear, trustworthy nutritional guidance to help them make informed choices about what they eat and how it affects them. The data challenge represents a significant step toward transforming how nutritional information is communicated and understood across multiple sectors of society, potentially revolutionizing food labeling, public health policies, and consumer decision-making processes worldwide.