International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids

What International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids does

ISSFAL is a non-profit international scientific society incorporated in the United States under IRS code, established in 1991 to advance understanding of the role of dietary fatty acids and lipids in health and disease through research and education. Its served community comprises scientists, medical professionals, educators, administrators, and communicators spanning disciplines including nutrition, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, and clinical medicine, with reported membership of 500+ individuals across 40+ countries. The society operates on a membership-and-events model: individual dues are tiered at $150 (Full), $50 (Student/Retired), and $40 (Developing Country), with corporate membership organized into Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers, and revenue additionally drawn from biennial international congresses that attract 400-600 attendees and from sponsorships such as BASF-supported new investigator awards.

The organization's product surface is centered on the biennial international congress (Oslo 2027, Quebec 2025, Nantes 2023 in rotation since the inaugural 1993 Lugago congress), a monthly Lipids Online Webinar Series, four award programs (Alexander Leaf Distinguished Scientist Award, Dr. Norman Salem Jr. Early Career Award, New Investigator Awards, Travel Awards), and seven official PUFA recommendations and statements. Underlying operations run on a digital platform at issfal.org providing membership registration, congress registration, abstract submission, member-only content, and webinar delivery. Association management is outsourced to Riverfield Consulting, which supports operations from the registered Washington, DC address. The society is also affiliated with the peer-reviewed journal Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids (PLEFA), which publishes official statements and society news.

ISSFAL does not pursue equity funding or public market listing; its independence is preserved through board governance and 501(c) tax-exempt status with annual Form 990 filings (most recently 2023). Go-to-market relies on scientific community reputation, word-of-mouth in the research community, the rotating congress as the principal engagement anchor, and email-driven communications rather than paid acquisition. Recent strategic moves include a 2021 Virtual Congress collaboration with the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) following COVID-19 disruption, the formalization of corporate membership tiers via a 2026 prospectus, and the planned launch of an International Lipid School (postponed to 2028).

Name

International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids

Legal name

International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids

Website

https://issfal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

ISSFAL is a non-profit international scientific society, founded in 1991, that connects 500+ scientists and medical professionals across 40+ countries around research and education on dietary fatty acids and lipid health, generating revenue from individual and corporate memberships and biennial international congresses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (81391)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition Policy, Dietary Guidelines & Fortification Programs (HLAJAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH), Nutrition & Population Health Integration (MCH Nutrition, Micronutrients) (BPADAIAF)

Keywords

• Scientific society membership
• Lipid research conferences
• Fatty acid research
• Nutrition science publications
• Dietary lipid science

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Fees: Annual membership dues from individual members across Full ($150), Student/Retired ($50), and Developing Country ($40) tiers. Auto-renewal option available for continuous revenue.
2. Congress Registrations: Registration fees for biennial congresses (ISSFAL 2027 Oslo, 2025 Quebec, 2023 Nantes) attracting 400-600 attendees. Discounted rates for members drive membership conversion.
3. Corporate Membership and Sponsorship: Corporate membership tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze) with associated sponsorship opportunities for congresses and events. Sponsorship guidelines ensure scientific integrity while allowing industry support.
4. Journal Publication (PLEFA): Society is affiliated with the journal Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids (PLEFA), publishing official statements and society news.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISSFAL is a non-profit scientific membership society that delivers its core offering through individual and corporate memberships, biennial international congresses on dietary lipid health, the monthly Lipids Online Webinar Series, four award and scholarship programs, seven official PUFA statements and recommendations, and a Glossary of Terms resource. Membership tiers include Full ($150/year), Student/Retired ($50/year), Developing Country ($40/year), and Corporate (Gold/Silver/Bronze). The society's mission is to increase understanding of dietary fatty acids and lipids in health and disease through research and education.

Product overview

ISSFAL is a unified membership-based scientific society rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering centers on membership services that provide access to biennial international congresses, the Lipids Online Webinar Series, awards programs (Alexander Leaf Lifetime Achievement, Dr. Norman Salem Jr. Early Career, New Investigator, and Travel Awards), official Statements and Recommendations on polyunsaturated fatty acids, and educational resources including a Glossary of Terms. Corporate membership tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze) offer organizational visibility and networking opportunities. The society also publishes proceedings through the journal Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids (PLEFA) and maintains transparency through public access to Society Filings including annual 990 tax documents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISSFAL Individual Membership
• ISSFAL Corporate Membership
• Biennial International Congresses
• Lipids Online Webinar Series
• Statements and Recommendations on PUFA
• Glossary of Terms
• International Lipid School

Quantifiable outcome

• ISSFAL's congresses attract 400-600 attendees per event from 40+ countries
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Riverfield ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRiverfield Consulting provides Association Management Services to ISSFAL. The society maintains its headquarters in Washington, DC, with administrative support from this consulting partner for operational management.
• Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids (PLEFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISSFAL's official journal for publishing society statements, news, original reviews, research contributions, and updates. Society pages appear in PLEFA, and statements are published in the journal after board approval. The society draws attention to draft statements in PLEFA during member review periods.
• BASFminorOthersBASF generously supported 50 new investigators registration awards and 10 awards of $1,000 each to the Top 10 New Investigators at the 2021 Congress.
• AOCS (American Oil Chemists Society)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISSFAL collaborated with AOCS to hold a Virtual Congress in May 2021 during the global pandemic, combining lipid science expertise from both organizations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• American Society for Nutrition (ASN): ASN is the preeminent U.S. nutrition science society with ~7,000 members, hosting annual meetings (Nutrition/NUTRITION 2025) and publishing high-impact journals (Journal of Nutrition, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Directly comparable to ISSFAL as a peer-reviewed nutrition research society serving scientists and clinicians, but with broader scope beyond lipids.
• The Nutrition Society (UK): The Nutrition Society is a UK-based learned society with ~3,000 members focused on nutritional science, publishing three peer-reviewed journals and hosting scientific conferences. Directly comparable to ISSFAL as a national-charter scientific society serving nutrition researchers, though broader in scope than ISSFAL's lipid-specific focus.
• European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN): ESPEN is the European society for clinical nutrition and metabolism with members across clinical disciplines, hosting annual congresses and publishing Clinical Nutrition journal. Comparable to ISSFAL as a scientific society serving clinicians and researchers, with overlap in the cardiometabolic and lipid nutrition topics but a clinical rather than basic-science focus.
• American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS): AOCS is a global scientific society focused on fats, oils, lipids, and related materials with ~2,000 members worldwide. Directly comparable as a lipid-focused society that partnered with ISSFAL for the 2021 Virtual Congress; both publish authoritative content and host scientific conferences, though AOCS has stronger industry ties to fats/oils manufacturing.

Emerging players

• Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED): GOED is an industry trade association representing omega-3 EPA/DHA producers and finishers. Comparable to ISSFAL in the omega-3/lipid space and shares board-level connections (ISSFAL board member Harry Rice works at GOED). GOED is industry-focused whereas ISSFAL is science-focused, making them complementary rather than direct competitors.
• International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS): IAS is an international scientific society focused on atherosclerosis research with members across cardiovascular and lipid research communities. Comparable to ISSFAL in addressing lipid-related disease research, hosting international congresses, and serving clinician-researcher members, with significant topical overlap in PUFA and lipid nutrition.
• Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB): SNEB is a US-based professional organization focused on nutrition education and behavior change with ~1,000 members. Comparable as a nutrition-focused scientific society with member dues, conferences, and journal publication (Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior), though more education/practitioner-focused than ISSFAL's research focus.

Regional players

• Japan Society of Lipid Research: The Japan Society of Lipid Research is a Japanese scientific society focused on lipid research with members from academic and clinical institutions. Comparable to ISSFAL as a lipid-focused scientific society with annual conferences and journal publication, but operates primarily in Japan while ISSFAL serves a global membership base.
• Federation of European Nutrition Societies (FENS): FENS represents national nutrition societies across Europe and hosts the European Nutrition Conference. Comparable as an international nutrition scientific society but operates regionally in Europe and has broader scope than ISSFAL's lipid-specific mission.

Broad incumbents

• International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS): IUNS is the global umbrella organization for nutritional sciences with member societies in over 80 countries. Comparable as an international nutrition scientific society, but operates at a broader scope than ISSFAL's lipid-focused mission and represents an overarching body that ISSFAL could affiliate with.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theissfal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids