FAO and IFT have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together on tackling global problems with food safety and quality, and their impact on consumers.
IFT executive vice president Barbara Byrd Keenan said: "This partnership brings us closer to achieving our common goal of achieving a safe and more abundant global food supply…We are proud and honored to be able to offer IFT's collective scientific and technical expertise as a resource to FAO.”
Specifically, the MOU includes collaborating on the organization of conferences, seminars and workshops related to food safety, emerging technologies, food science and nutrition; reviewing university food science and nutrition programs in developing countries; and providing responses on regulation and public policy issues that could affect the global food supply.
In addition, under the partnership IFT would help to identify experts for consideration on food safety, quality and food security issues, and would provide scientific input on papers and documents.
The FAO is intended to serve as a neutral international forum, with the mandate of raising levels of nutrition, increasing agricultural productivity, improving the lives of rural populations and contributing to the growth of the world economy.
More information on its food safety activities is online here.
IFT also works together with food safety agencies within the United States, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In September last year, IFT said it would lead two pilot studies for the FDA to identify the fastest methods for product tracing, as required under the Food Safety Modernization Act.