World Food Congress 2016 Welcome to Dublin

Congress Hosts

Who Will Attend?

The 18th World Congress of Food Science and Technology will be the premier international food science and technology congress for companies and scientists taking place in 2016!  The world food congress will attract experts from across the global food sector including academia, industry professionals, researchers, governments, engineers, entrepreneurs, students and government agencies.

Objectives of IUFoST World Congress (World Food Congress) 2016

The objective of IUFoST World Congress 2016 is captured within the congress theme: 'Greening the Global Food Supply Chain' through innovation in Food Science and Technology. The World Food Congress will enable and facilitate the communication, exchange and the sharing of knowledge at the frontiers of food science and technology. This world congress will promote the advancement of the production of nutritious, wholesome, safe and quality food drinks and products for all mankind while at the same time protecting and respecting the environmental needs of the planet we share together.

As the world' population expands in the next generation to 9 billion, increasingly the challenge is, in the context of global warming and fossil fuel depletion, that there will be a tremendous need to balance primary food production for human consumption and biomass derived energy. Water is also increasingly a major concern. Our theme Greening the Global Food Supply Chain - through Innovation in Food Science and Technology ' will sharply focus the urgency to eliminate waste and produce and process more effectively and efficiently, the additional food requirements to prevent widespread famine. Our plans for IUFoST World Congress 2016 are centred on creating a sustainable legacy for the food science community in Ireland and for all IUFoST Adhering Bodies and stakeholders.

The 'Emerald Isle' as host

Greening of the Global Food Supply Chain - through innovation in Food Science and technology is a fitting theme given the location of the world congress in Ireland - which is often referred to as the 'Emerald Isle' and because of the increasing pressures on the wider global food industry in terms of the need for a more sustainable supply chain and the pivotal role of science in overcoming key challenges.  It is appropriate for Ireland to host this most significant congress as it is widely regarded as the 'Food Island'. The Agri-food industry is Ireland's largest and most critically important indigenous industry, a sector with a long historic and proud tradition of producing excellent food. It is currently worth over 24 billion euros in gross annual output with ambitious targets for growth (40 billion euros by 2030) as set down in our national strategy for the sector, Food Harvest 2020. Research and science-based innovation play a central role in enabling the industry to meet these targets and address challenges faced by the sector at the global level. On a worldwide basis, new working relationships and the piloting of new food product and process streams to facilitate access to new markets, are a key target for industry.  To succeed, the global food industry must invest in ideas, knowledge and skills and encourage innovation and creativity. In particular, increased research and development within food companies is needed, coupled with a greater partnership with the scientific community.