The Global Food Protection Institute, established in 2009, i s dedicated to protecting the world’s food supply through FDA-aligned training, the advancement of new food protection technologies and the convening of forums for the transformative exchange of ideas about food protection.
The Need for Better Food Protection
Food-borne illness remains a major threat to human health everywhere, especially as our food supply becomes more and more global in nature.
In the United States alone, it is estimated that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of food-borne diseases.
i In terms of cost to the U.S. economy, food-borne illness poses a $78 billion economic burden annually.
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In order to address the emerging issue of a safer worldwide food supply, the Global Food
Protection Institute was created in 2009. The Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, provides an overarching intellectual and organizational umbrella that empowers its three distinct food protection initiatives:
 “Today” – Build training systems, provide evidence-based curriculum, and deliver training for U.S. and international public- and private-sector food safety professionals that spans their entire careers through the International Food Protection Training Institute.
The Training Institute provides science- and evidence-based training courses to U.S. food protection professionals across the course of their careers. The courses are designed around a national curriculum framework that is aligned with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards and has gained acceptance and support from the food protection community.
Various global organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the World Bank and numerous foreign governments’ health agencies, have expressed strong interest in adopting the
Training Institute’s evidence-based curriculum for broader use outside the United States.
The Training Institute also created Applied Science, Law, and Policy: Fellowship in Food
Protection, a 12-month training program accredited by the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) that improves the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills of mid-career food safety professionals, boosting their leadership potential and strengthening the capacity for a truly integrated food safety system.
 “Tomorrow” –
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The Technology Initiative is dedicated to identifying, funding, and bringing to commercialization transformative and promising new food protection technologies.
The Institute has already funded two startups, Seattle Sensor System Corp. and nanoRETE,
Inc., which were chosen from over 40 companies. These two companies seek to commercialize novel food protection technology platforms that can rapidly and cost-effectively detect food pathogens in the field.
 “Beyond” – Convene global food protection thought leaders and policymakers to address critical food safety issues through the Symposia Initiative.
The Symposia serve as a global food protection think tank, where scientific, regulatory, academic, industry, and government thought leaders, innovators and policymakers exchange ideas and consider optimal strategies to improve global food protection.
The Symposia have addressed critical food protection issues such as allergen thresholds, preventive controls, the Food Safety Modernization Act, food transportation, innovations in technology, and international trade and capacity building.
The findings of the Symposia are promoted through consensus documents or white papers to help ensure that the recommendations of the expert participants are incorporated into government policies and industry practices.
Partnerships and Collaborations
The Institute, based in Battle Creek, Mich., is a model for private-public partnerships that address public health needs. It collaborates with industry, academia, federal and state government, and other national and state organizations.
Industry Partners
BD
CSM Group
Kellogg Co.
Marshall Economic Development
Mead Johnson Nutrition
Varnum Law
Academic Partners
Iowa State University
Louisiana State University
Michigan State University
Mississippi State University
University of California at Davis
University of Hawaii
University of Tennessee
Western Michigan University
Wright State University
National Partners
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO)
State Partners
Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)
Michigan Works! Association
Great Lakes Entrepreneur ’s Quest
International Leadership
Through multiple international collaborations, the Institute has become a recognized leader in the effort to create a safe global food supply. Collaborators include the World Bank, the Saudi
Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), the Armenian Center for Agribusiness and Rural Development
(CARD), the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, and the General
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of China.
Funding
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation provided initial seed money for the Global Food Protection
Institute in 2009. The FDA provided funding to the International Food Protection Training
Institute in 2010, and in September 2011 the FDA awarded an additional five-year grant to fund the implementation of the national food training infrastructure mandated by federal law. GFPI actively seeks corporate, government and nonprofit partners to further its mission.
For more information, visit www.gfpi.org
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© Global Food Protection Institute, February 2013 i www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/index.html
ii Robert Scharff , “Economic Burden from Health Losses Due to Foodborne Illness in the United States,”
Journal of Food Protection , 75 (1), January 2012, pp. 123-131 (9).
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