Nutritionists ensure that that the levels of micronutrients bred in food crops are sufficient to have a measurable impact on human nutritional status. Nutrition scientists work with plant breeders to establish breeding targets for specific micronutrients. These are based on the food intake of target populations, nutrient losses during storage and processing and the bioavailability of nutrients from staple foods consumed by target populations. HarvestPlus nutrition teams measure the effects of processing, storage and cooking methods on nutrient retention in crops and determine optimal practices to minimize nutrient loss. The effectiveness of HarvestPlus crops in improving human nutrition in uncontrolled real world conditions is
also evaluated.