International Food Information Council

What International Food Information Council does

International Food Information Council (IFIC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., dedicated to communicating science-based information on food safety, nutrition, and sustainable food systems. Its core research portfolio consists of the annual IFIC Food & Health Survey (now in its 20th consecutive year), monthly IFIC Spotlight Surveys, commissioned custom research, and peer-reviewed publications. Supporting resources include educational articles, communicator toolkits, and continuing education programs for nutrition professionals.

IFIC does not develop or sell technology products. Its core capability is the design and fielding of consumer survey research and the translation of food and nutrition science into accessible insights for stakeholders across the U.S. food system. Distribution is direct and free via ific.org, supplemented by conference presentations (e.g., the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo) and peer-reviewed publication in journals such as Nutrition Today.

The organization is funded primarily through grants and contributions from the broad-based food, beverage, and agricultural industry, and explicitly does not lobby or represent any product, company, or industry. Governance rests on a Board of Trustees majority-composed of public-academic representatives, with an Assembly that includes government liaisons, positioning IFIC at the intersection of academia, industry funders, and federal agencies (notably FDA and USDA). Stakeholder groups include federal policymakers, registered dietitian nutritionists, the food/beverage/agricultural industry, academic researchers, and the general public.

Name

International Food Information Council

Legal name

International Food Information Council

Website

https://ific.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IFIC is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that conducts and disseminates science-based consumer research on food safety, nutrition, and sustainable food systems to policymakers, dietitians, industry, academia, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and contributions from the food, beverage, and agricultural industry: IFIC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported primarily through grants and contributions from the broad-based food, beverage, and agricultural industry. IFIC does not lobby or represent any product, company, or industry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IFIC produces and disseminates science-based research, consumer surveys, and educational content on food safety, nutrition, and sustainable food systems. Its flagship products are the annual IFIC Food & Health Survey (now in its 20th consecutive year) and the monthly IFIC Spotlight Surveys, complemented by commissioned research, peer-reviewed publications, articles, toolkits, and continuing-education courses delivered free of charge.

Product overview

IFIC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit science communication organization offering a portfolio of consumer research products. The core offerings consist of the annual IFIC Food & Health Survey (now in its 20th year), monthly IFIC Spotlight Surveys on emerging food and nutrition topics, commissioned custom research, and peer-reviewed publications. Supporting these research products are educational resources including articles, toolkits, and continuing education programs. Together, these products translate food safety, nutrition, and sustainable food systems research into practical insights for stakeholders across the food system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IFIC Food & Health Survey

Quantifiable outcome

• IFIC's 2025 Food & Health Survey marks the 20th consecutive year of the survey, making it the longest-running consumer food attitude survey in the U.S.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• National Academies Food ForumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024IFIC participated in a National Academies Food Forum public workshop in September 2024 titled 'Safeguarding the Food Supply: Integrating Diverse Risks, Connecting with Consumers, and Protecting Vulnerable Populations,' exploring science-informed hazard- and risk-based approaches to food safety.
• AARP FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017The AARP Foundation partnered with IFIC (IFIC Foundation at the time) to conduct an oversample of respondents ages 50–80 for the 2017 Food & Health Survey, producing a focused report on the diets and health of older Americans — the country's fastest-growing demographic.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): A nonprofit consumer-advocacy and science-based organization focused on nutrition, food safety, and health. Closely comparable to IFIC in operating as a nonprofit that translates food and nutrition science into consumer-facing guidance, though CSPI leans more toward advocacy and litigation rather than neutral industry-supported research.
• International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI): A global nonprofit that supports food safety and nutrition science through industry-funded research collaboration. Comparable to IFIC as a science-based food and nutrition organization with industry funding and academic governance, though ILSI focuses on generating research rather than consumer survey research and communication.
• American Society for Nutrition (ASN): A nonprofit scientific society advancing nutrition research and education with thousands of members worldwide. Comparable to IFIC in its focus on peer-reviewed nutrition research dissemination and science communication, though ASN's primary audience is researchers rather than consumers, RDNs, and policymakers.
• Food Tank: A nonprofit focused on building a sustainable, equitable food system through research, reporting, and stakeholder convening. Comparable to IFIC as a nonprofit conducting food-system research and disseminating findings to broad audiences, though Food Tank emphasizes global agricultural sustainability and thought leadership rather than longitudinal U.S. consumer-attitude surveys.
• Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (USDA CNPP): A USDA agency that develops and promotes dietary guidance, including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Comparable to IFIC as a key stakeholder in translating food and nutrition science into public policy and consumer guidance, though CNPP operates as a federal agency rather than an industry-supported nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: The world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, with over 100,000 credentialed members. Comparable to IFIC as a central authority on evidence-based nutrition, but its primary function is practitioner credentialing, advocacy, and member services rather than consumer-facing survey research and science communication.
• Institute of Food Technologists (IFT): A global nonprofit scientific society of food scientists and technologists with over 10,000 members. Comparable to IFIC in bridging food science research with industry and policy stakeholders, though IFT's primary focus is the technical food-science professional community rather than consumer attitudes and dietitian-facing communication.

Others

• Food Marketing Institute (FMI): The trade association representing food retailers and wholesalers in North America. Comparable to IFIC as a stakeholder shaping U.S. food policy discourse, but FMI's primary role is industry advocacy and supply-chain standards rather than consumer survey research or science communication.
• Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI): A global industry collaboration that benchmarks food safety management standards across the supply chain. Comparable to IFIC in addressing food-safety stakeholder needs, though GFSI focuses on industry compliance and supply-chain certification rather than consumer-facing science communication and survey research.

Emerging players

• The Good Food Institute (GFI): A nonprofit accelerating alternative protein and food-system innovation through science, policy, and industry engagement. Comparable to IFIC as a science-based nonprofit addressing food-system challenges and engaging industry and policymakers, though GFI's focus on alternative proteins is narrower than IFIC's broad consumer food-attitude mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ific

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Food Information Council