The Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) is one of six USDA human nutrition research centers conducting scientific investigations designed to provide Americans with a clear understanding of the role of nutrition in maintaining a healthy, active life.

As the first federal nutrition research center to investigate the nutritional needs of pregnant and nursing women, and children from conception through adolescence, the CNRC conducts research that helps improve the maternal, infant and child nutrition guidelines used by physicians, parents and others responsible for the care and feeding of children.

Located in the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the nation, the CNRC is operated by Baylor College of Medicine in cooperation with Texas Children's Hospital and the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA/ARS). The Center has 50 faculty members conducting nutrition-related research and a total staff of more than 200.

Since its establishment in 1978, over 8,500 volunteers have participated in Center studies.  Center research has generated more than 1,700 scientific publications and continues to provide valuable information for improving the nutritional health of today's children and that of future generations.