Background and mission

Founded in 1985, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) is a nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 whose mission is to effectively communicate science-based information on food safety and nutrition to health and nutrition professionals, educators, government officials, journalists, and others providing information to consumers, primarily in the United States. IFIC is supported by the broad-based food, beverage, and agricultural industries. IFIC does not represent any product or company, nor does it lobby for legislative or regulatory action.

Purpose

IFIC’s purpose is to bridge the gap between science and communications by collecting and disseminating scientific information on food safety

Food safety

Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards....

, nutrition

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....

, and health

Health

Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

 and by working with an extensive roster of science experts to help translate research into understandable and useful information for opinion leaders and ultimately, consumers. The people that fund this council are companies like Monsanto, DuPont, and Coca Cola, to name a few.

Food safety and nutrition topics

IFIC provides science-based information on a variety of food safety and nutrition topics such as:

• obesity
  Obesity
  Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
  
   (including childhood obesity
  Childhood obesity
  Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or wellbeing. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects...
  
  )
• dietary fats (including trans fats)
• carbohydrates and sugars
• sodium
  Sodium
  Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
  
  
• functional foods
• low-calorie sweeteners (sometimes called sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners)
• caffeine
  Caffeine
  Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
  
  
• food biotechnology (also referred to as genetic engineering
  Genetic engineering
  Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
  
  , genetically modified organism
  Genetically modified organism
  A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...
  
   (GMO), or genetically modified foods)
• food allergies
• food safety
  Food safety
  Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards....
  
  

The IFIC Foundation

In 1991, the International Food Information Council Foundation was established as the educational arm of IFIC. IFIC Foundation projects have included a joint effort with the Harvard School of Public Health to develop guidelines for communicating new health and science research, the Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition & Health, and research on media coverage of diet, health, and food safety issues. IFIC Foundation materials can be found in both English and Spanish at http://www.foodinsight.org.

IFIC Foundation projects

• Kidnetic.com, A childhood obesity prevention project that gets kids motivated to lead a healthy lifestyle
• Improving Public Understanding: Guidelines For Communicating Emerging Science on Nutrition, Food Safety, and Health, A Joint Project Between the IFIC Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health
• Food & Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition & Health
• Food For Thought--A media tracking survey that looks at how the news media, ranging from print to broadcast to the Internet, cover the important topics of food safety, nutrition, and health
• Food Insight Newsletter