XVth World Congress of Food Science and Technology
Cape Town, South Africa
1. We, the delegates to the 13th General Assembly of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) held in Cape Town on August 26th 2010, recognise the valuable efforts already made by IUFoST to promote and set objectives and standards for our profession, and we call on IUFoST to further strengthen our efforts by means of the following principles while continuing to monitor and report on the outcomes.
2. We recognise that access to nutritionally adequate and safe food is the right of each individual. Accordingly we re-affirm the commitment made in our Budapest Declaration (1995) in which we recognised the indispensable role of food science and technology and undertook to apply it in seeking to ensure the world-wide year-round availability of the quantity and variety of safe and wholesome foods necessary to meet the nutritional and health needs of the world’s growing population. Of particular importance are:
- Promotion of the safety and quality of all foods;
- Reduction of physical and nutritional losses in the food value chain;
- Adaptation and improvement of traditional foods and processes, while respecting the traditional, ethical, cultural and religious aspects involved;
- Beneficial application of science and technology;
- Development and dissemination of improved knowledge of food composition;
- Facilitation of domestic and international food trade;
- Development of food materials with improved functionality;
- More efficient and environmentally sustainable food production, processing and packaging;
- Education in nutrition, food science and technology at all levels.
3. We recognise that there are many factors currently contributing to or aggravating food and nutrition insecurity: poverty, poor health, natural disasters, poor soil, water shortages, use of food crops for biofuel, political and economic factors, wars, corrupt or inefficient governments, and the global economic crisis. Moreover, in decades to come, with the expected substantial increase in the world population (9.1 billion by 2050), mostly in the poorest and least developed countries, coupled with the possible effects of climate change, the demand for food, water and energy will greatly increase. Thus, combating food insecurity must address both the present and growing future problems. Many of the foregoing factors are beyond the ability of food science and technology to control, or its expertise to ameliorate. We accept that the problem of food insecurity has huge political and economic dimensions and will not be solved by food science and technology alone nor even by science alone; but it will certainly not be solved without the contribution of science and of food science and technology.
4. We reaffirm our commitment to seek to ensure food safety and in particular protection from chemical or microbiological contamination, both by applying existing food science and technology knowledge and by gaining improved knowledge through research.
5. We reaffirm our continuing responsibility for promoting food science and technology education and training at all levels and through all appropriate means:
- For the present and future generation of food scientists and technologists;
- For those involved in food production, whether urban or village, at all stages of the processes of sourcing, manufacture and distribution;
- By engaging with the general public, to help them understand and welcome the benefits resulting from the application of food science and technology;
- For policy makers to assist them in taking science-based decisions.
6. We reaffirm the need for ongoing active collaboration and exchange of information with other bodies, including governments, multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental organisations, academic bodies, research institutions, the private sector, communities and individuals, but particularly those of the sciences contributing to or related to the multi disciplinary subject which is food science.
7. We recognise our continuing responsibility to promote and encourage professionalism, transparency, professional competence and professional integrity among all food scientists and technologists.
This Declaration was approved by the General Assembly Delegates to the XVth World Congress of Food Science and Technology, held in Cape Town, South Africa, 2010.
