International Union of Food Science and Technology

The International Union of Food Science and Technology, commonly known as IUFoST, is a global scientific organization representing the food science and technology profession. It is a voluntary, nonprofit association of national food science and technology organizations rather than a commercial food company or consumer-facing product brand. Through its member bodies, specialist groups, publications, congresses and international partnerships, it connects food scientists, engineers, technologists, educators and related professionals across more than 100 countries, with a collective community reported at more than 300,000 people. The organization emerged from efforts to create a permanent international forum for food scientists. The idea was discussed in the period surrounding international food science meetings in the early 1960s. A first International Congress of Food Science and Technology was held in London in 1962, following earlier discussions among scientists and professional organizations about the need for coordinated international work on food preservation, nutrition and food availability. An International Committee of Food Science and Technology followed, and its work led to the formal inauguration of IUFoST at the Third International Congress of Food Science and Technology in Washington, DC, in 1970. The meeting was associated with the theme “Science and Survival,” reflecting contemporary concern about the relationship between food technology, population growth and human welfare. IUFoST’s role is primarily scientific, educational and coordinating. It promotes the exchange of knowledge through international congresses, regional meetings, specialist disciplinary groups, scientific information bulletins, reviews, textbooks and other publications. Its activities cover food processing and engineering, food safety, nutrition, food security, food quality, food preservation, functional foods, food applications of nanoscale science and the properties of water in food systems. It has also supported the preparation and dissemination of educational resources, including the textbook Food Science and Technology and publications associated with the global food science and technology community. The organization has positioned food science and technology as a practical contributor to public welfare. Its work addresses the availability of safe and wholesome food, the reduction of hunger and malnutrition, the development of food-sector capabilities in lower-income countries, and the need for scientifically informed policy. IUFoST has maintained relationships with international bodies including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the Codex Alimentarius system. It is described as holding special consultative status with FAO and as the elected scientific representative for food science and technology within the International Science Council. Two policy declarations illustrate the evolution of its public mission. The Budapest Declaration, adopted at the organization’s 1995 General Assembly, committed IUFoST to helping reduce hunger and all forms of malnutrition and to working toward sustained nutritional well-being in a peaceful, just and environmentally safe world. The Cape Town Declaration, adopted during the 2010 General Assembly, renewed and updated this orientation by emphasizing food safety, food security and food science education. These statements frame the organization as a professional and scientific network whose purpose extends beyond academic exchange to the application of food technology for global development. IUFoST continues to convene a biennial World Food Congress and to support regional symposia and specialist communities. Its headquarters are in Canada, while its membership and activities are international. Because it is a membership-based scientific union, its “offerings” are services to the profession—knowledge exchange, representation, education, standards-related engagement and networking—rather than branded consumer products. Its present identity is therefore best understood as a global professional association and scientific voice for food science and technology.

The origins of IUFoST lie in the postwar expansion of food science as an international discipline. During the 1950s and 1960s, scientists and governments were increasingly concerned with food preservation, grain storage, nutrition, population growth and the ability of food systems to supply safe products at scale. International scientific meetings created opportunities for specialists from different countries to compare methods, but the field lacked a permanent global organization devoted specifically to food science and technology. One strand of the organization’s early background was associated with scientific discussions in Britain and with research supported by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A symposium on recent advances in food science was held in Glasgow in 1960, and discussions among participating scientists explored the idea of establishing an international food science society. These conversations formed part of a wider movement to create international scientific unions modeled on existing organizations in the physical, biological and agricultural sciences. The concept advanced through the First International Congress of Food Science and Technology, held in London in 1962. The congress brought together food scientists and technologists from multiple countries and gave formal visibility to the argument that food science required sustained international collaboration. Discussions from the congress led to the creation of an International Committee of Food Science and Technology. That committee served as the preparatory structure for a more permanent union. IUFoST was formally inaugurated at the Third International Congress of Food Science and Technology in Washington, DC, in 1970. The meeting was known in contemporary discussions as “SOS/70,” with the initials referring to “Science and Survival.” The title expressed the belief that scientific advances in food processing, preservation, storage and distribution could contribute to the survival and welfare of growing populations. From its establishment, IUFoST operated as a voluntary nonprofit federation of national food science organizations rather than as a commercial enterprise. Over subsequent decades, the union developed several mechanisms for advancing its mission. It organized a recurring World Food Congress, encouraged regional scientific meetings, supported specialist disciplinary groups and circulated technical information through reviews, bulletins and electronic publications. Its publishing activity has included textbooks, conference proceedings and the International Review of Food Science and Technology. IUFoST has also been associated with major scientific journals and publication channels in the field, including Food Control, Trends in Food Science and Technology, LWT—Food Science and Technology and Science of Food. These relationships helped connect the union’s professional network with the broader research literature. The organization’s policy focus increasingly expanded from technical research toward global nutrition and development. At the 1995 General Assembly in Budapest, IUFoST issued the Budapest Declaration. Influenced by international discussions on nutrition and chronic hunger, the declaration stated that food science and technology should help minimize hunger and reduce malnutrition. It also emphasized the importance of ensuring year-round access to sufficient quantities and varieties of safe, wholesome food. At the 2010 General Assembly in Cape Town, IUFoST adopted the Cape Town Declaration. This statement reaffirmed the earlier commitment while identifying food safety, food security and food science education as central priorities for the organization’s future work. The declaration reflected the continuing importance of scientific capacity-building, particularly in countries where food losses, inadequate processing infrastructure, weak safety systems or limited educational resources constrain food availability and public health. IUFoST has maintained institutional relationships with organizations involved in food, health, development and international standards. These include FAO, WHO, UNIDO, UNDP and Codex Alimentarius. It is described as having special consultative status with FAO and as the elected scientific representative of food science and technology in the International Science Council. Through these relationships, the union provides professional expertise and helps bring the perspective of food scientists and technologists into international discussions. The organization’s specialist structure has included bodies such as the International Society of Food Engineers, the International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, the International Symposium on the Properties of Water, the International Food Research Collaboration and the International Society of Food Applications of Nanoscale Sciences. These groups allow technical communities to work under the broader IUFoST umbrella while retaining subject-specific focus. Today, IUFoST remains an international professional and scientific network headquartered in Canada. Its work combines congresses, publications, education, technical exchange, disciplinary collaboration and external representation. Although it has no conventional consumer product portfolio, its institutional services support the development and application of food science in areas ranging from food engineering and processing to safety, nutrition, food security and sustainable development.

• 2024

  World Food Congress in Rimini

  [2]International Union of Food Science and Technology official websiteiufost.org

  IUFoST scheduled its biennial World Food Congress in Rimini, Italy, from September 8 to September 12, 2024.

• 2010

  Cape Town Declaration

  [1]International Union of Food Science and Technologyen.wikipedia.org

  The General Assembly set out continuing priorities in food safety, food security and food science education.

• 1995

  Budapest Declaration

  [1]International Union of Food Science and Technologyen.wikipedia.org

  IUFoST declared its commitment to reducing hunger and malnutrition and to applying food science and technology to sustained global nutritional well-being.

• 1970

  IUFoST is formally inaugurated

  [1]International Union of Food Science and Technologyen.wikipedia.org

  The union was formally established at the Third International Congress of Food Science and Technology in Washington, DC, associated with the “Science and Survival” theme.

• 1962

  First International Congress of Food Science and Technology

  [1]International Union of Food Science and Technologyen.wikipedia.org

  The London congress provided a formal setting for discussions about international cooperation and led to the International Committee of Food Science and Technology.

• 1960

  International discussions gain momentum

  [1]International Union of Food Science and Technologyen.wikipedia.org

  A Glasgow symposium and related discussions among international food scientists helped advance the idea of a permanent global organization for food science and technology.

IUFoST positions itself as the international scientific voice and coordinating network for food science and technology, linking national professional organizations with researchers, educators, industry specialists and intergovernmental institutions. Its emphasis is on applying food science to food safety, nutrition, food security, education and sustainable human development.

• International scientific congress

  IUFoST World Food Congress

  The World Food Congress is IUFoST’s principal recurring international event. It brings together food scientists, engineers, technologists, educators, policymakers and industry participants to exchange research and discuss food safety, processing, nutrition, food security and emerging technologies. The congress also provides a setting for professional networking, institutional collaboration and dissemination of technical findings.

• Textbook

  Food Science and Technology

  Food Science and Technology is a core educational textbook associated with IUFoST and published by Wiley-Blackwell. It supports teaching and professional development by presenting foundational and applied aspects of food science and technology. Its subject scope reflects the organization’s educational mission and the need to develop food-sector expertise internationally.

• Technical review publication

  International Review of Food Science and Technology

  The International Review of Food Science and Technology communicates developments and perspectives across the field. It is part of IUFoST’s broader publication and knowledge-transfer activity, which aims to make research, technical analysis and professional information available to the international food science community.

• Scientific information service

  Scientific Information Bulletins

  IUFoST Scientific Information Bulletins provide concise technical communication for the food science and technology community. They support the circulation of timely information and expert perspectives on issues relevant to food safety, food processing, nutrition, food security and related scientific disciplines.

• Development and nutrition resource

  Hunger Handbook

  The Hunger Handbook applies food science and technology concepts to nutrition improvement and national development. It represents IUFoST’s effort to connect technical expertise with practical responses to hunger, food availability and malnutrition, particularly in development contexts.

• 2010Cape Town Declaration

  Global

  The Cape Town General Assembly renewed IUFoST’s global commitments and placed particular emphasis on food safety, food security and education in food science and technology.

  Outcome. The declaration established a subsequent policy framework for engagement with the global food science and technology community.

  Source
• 1995Budapest Declaration

  Global

  IUFoST used its Budapest General Assembly to articulate a global mission focused on reducing hunger and all forms of malnutrition through international cooperation and the application of food science and technology.

  Outcome. The declaration guided IUFoST’s working policy for approximately the following fifteen years and strengthened the organization’s public-development orientation.

  Source

• 2010

  Adoption of the Cape Town DeclarationStrategy

  Background

  IUFoST reviewed its previous global nutrition commitments and the continuing need for stronger technical capacity in food systems.

  Action taken

  The General Assembly adopted a declaration prioritizing food safety, food security and food science education.

  Aftermath

  The declaration updated the organization’s policy framework and continued its emphasis on applying food science to global food-system challenges.

  Source

• 1995

  Adoption of the Budapest DeclarationStrategy

  Background

  Food science and technology communities were placing greater emphasis on chronic hunger, malnutrition and the needs of less-developed regions.

  Action taken

  IUFoST declared a commitment to reducing hunger and malnutrition and to promoting sustained nutritional well-being through international cooperation.

  Aftermath

  The declaration shaped the organization’s policy direction for the next fifteen years and reinforced its development-oriented mission.

  Source

• 1970

  Formal creation of an international food science unionStrategy

  Background

  International congresses and preparatory committee work had demonstrated the need for a permanent organization connecting national food science and technology bodies.

  Action taken

  IUFoST was formally inaugurated at the Third International Congress of Food Science and Technology in Washington, DC.

  Aftermath

  The new union became a global platform for scientific exchange, professional representation, education and collaboration with international food and development institutions.

  Source

1. 1International Union of Food Science and Technologyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2International Union of Food Science and Technology official websiteiufost.org