With mutual efforts toward achieving a safe, sufficient and accessible food supply, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The objective of the MOU is to facilitate cooperation between FAO and IFT in preventing and redressing the increasing risks associated with food safety and quality, and their impact on public health and consumer protection.

Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO’s efforts—that is, to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO’s mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy. Food safety is central to global food security, and FAO’s work includes building legal and institutional frameworks at the country level, supporting the use of science and risk-based approaches in food control activities and enhancing the capacities of operators along the food chain.