- Overview
- Food Safety
- Food Loss Prevention
- Food Fortification
Food safety affects everyone and must be a top priority for all agribusinesses. Consumers rightfully demand and deserve safe, hygienically produced food, as poor standards jeopardize consumers’ health and can also damage business reputation. Simultaneously, addressing the critical issue of reducing food loss and waste is equally vital to ensure a sustainable business with efficient resource utilization.
The program’s dual focus on food safety and food loss and waste reduction meets consumer expectations and promotes a responsible and resilient food industry. Additionally, IFC also aims to contribute to global nutrition through the implementation of food fortification to ensure that essential micronutrients are incorporated into the food supply chain, ultimately improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations.
IFC’s Role
For more than 15 years, IFC has offered high-quality professional services to help companies apply international food safety standards and adopt sustainable business models. IFC plays a crucial role in supporting the capacity building of both private and public sectors by organizing knowledge-sharing events and collaborating with different international stakeholders to strengthen their capabilities. Furthermore, IFC supports teams internally in assessing national Food Safety systems, identifying bottlenecks, and developing strategies to overcome them. This comprehensive approach ensures that the focus is not only on individual companies but also addresses systemic issues, leading to a more sustainable and resilient industry.
Through such efforts, we have witnessed remarkable outcomes, with more than 10,000 participants actively engaging in our programs. These initiatives have been supported by over 300 events, creating a robust platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration. As a result, we have witnessed the tangible impact of our work, with 3,000 entities demonstrating a significant reduction in food safety risks. Furthermore, IFC's commitment to training and capacity building has resulted in over 16,000 individuals being trained by our project-trained personnel. Additionally, our light advisory engagement has reached more than 2,800 companies, providing them with valuable guidance and support. These collective efforts have not only enabled our clients to meet regional and export market requirements but have also attracted over $636 million in investments, generated over $728 million in increased sales, and realized over $3 million in cost savings. Ultimately, these achievements have strengthened the brands and long-term sustainability of the companies we work with.
The Global Food Safety and Food Loss and Waste Prevention Advisory platform is committed to supporting the improvement of food safety and prevention of food loss and waste among agribusiness firms, retail clients, and their suppliers.
IFC’s Role
The goal of the Food Safety Advisory platform is to help clients increase the uptake of best practices and achieve a measurable reduction of food safety risks. It has a specific focus to:
- Conduct technical advice on food safety management systems, gap-diagnostic, and end-line assessments according to international certification standards.
- Provide action plans for clients and their supply chains, to build, develop, implement, maintain, and enhance their food safety management systems.
- Build the internal capacities of clients in food safety as needed through technical training and coaching.
- Assess national policies and regulations using the IFC Scan Guide and provide guidance on best practices.
- Conduct Food Safety awareness events and trainings for consultants.
IFC’s Global Food Safety, Food Loss Prevention Advisory Program is funded by GAFSP and FIAS. Regional and former project donors include Korea, DFAT, DIFID, Japan, New Zealand, and Slovakia.
Our Donors & Sponsors
The Global Food Loss and Waste Prevention Advisory platform was established in 2023, as a new angle to the Food Safety Advisory Platform. It remains committed to supporting the improvement of food safety and prevention of food loss and waste among agribusiness firms, retail clients, and their suppliers.
IFC’s Role
The goal of the Food Loss and Waste Prevention Platform is to support the uptake of best practices that aim to improve food safety and prevent food loss and waste in food supply chains for clients worldwide. It has a specific focus to:
- Conduct technical advice on food loss and waste management systems, gap-diagnostic, and end-line assessments according to international best practices.
- Provide action plans for clients and their supply chains, to reduce losses and build, develop, implement, and maintain best practices.
- Build the internal capacities of clients in food loss and waste prevention as needed through technical training and coaching.
- Assess national policies and regulations using the IFC Scan Guide and provide guidance on best practices.
- Conduct Food Loss and Waste awareness events and trainings for consultants.
IFC's Global Food Safety, Food Loss Prevention Advisory Program is funded by GAFSP and FIAS. Regional and former project donors include Korea, DFAT, DIFID, Japan, New Zealand, and Slovakia.
Our Donors & Sponsors
Micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition pose significant global health challenges, impacting both individual well-being and the global economy. Over two billion people suffer from key micronutrient deficiencies, leading to a rise in preventable health issues. Food fortification is a cost-effective solution, but its potential remains untapped in many emerging markets due to a lack of awareness.
IFC’s Role
Recognizing the importance of food fortification, IFC launched the performance-based grants food fortification project in 2024 as a new initiative aiming to increase the adoption of fortification by food processors. To achieve this, the project aims to:
- Conduct technical advice on food fortification, gap-diagnostic, and end-line assessments according to international best practices.
- Provide action plans for clients and their supply chains to improve the quality of fortified products, and to build, develop, implement, and maintain best practices.
- Build the internal capacities of clients in food fortification as needed through technical training and coaching.
- Assess national policies and regulations on food fortification using the IFC Scan Guide and provide guidance on best practices.
- Conduct Food Fortification awareness events and trainings for consultants.
IFC’s Performance-based Food Fortification Project is funded by the Government of Japan and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Our Donors & Sponsors