International Life Sciences Institute

This article is part of the Foodspin project of Spinwatch.

The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) specialises in lobbying national and international agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

ILSI is headquartered in Washington, DC, USA. Branches include Argentina, Brazil, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, North Africa and Gulf Region, North America, North Andean, South Africa, South Andean, Southeast Asia Region, the focal point in China, and the ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI). ILSI is affiliated with the World Health Organization as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and has specialised consultative status with the FAO.

ILSI Europe was established in 1986. It describes its mission as follows:

The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) is a nonprofit, worldwide foundation established in 1978 to advance the understanding of scientific issues relating to nutrition, food safety, toxicology, risk assessment, and the environment. By bringing together scientists from academia, government, industry, and the public sector, ILSI seeks a balanced approach to solving problems of common concern for the well being of the general public.

The ILSI 2010 Annual Report states:

Prominent researchers from industry and academia jointly lead ILSI, guiding its work to encourage scientific dialogue, generate data, and harmonize the use of science.

and

ILSI believes public-private collaboration on science improves safety, health, and wellness.

Membership

Its membership consists of 400 of 'the world's leading manufacturers of food and food ingredients, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other consumer products'. ILSI Europe's members include:

Ajinomoto Europe | Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals | Barilla G.& R. Fratelli | BASF | Bayer CropScience BioScience | Beverages Partners Worldwide | bioMérieux Industry | Campbell Soup | Campina | Cargill | Cereal Partners Worldwide | Coca-Cola European Union Group | Colloïdes Naturels International | Cosucra Groupe | CSM | Danisco | Dow Europe | DSM | DuPont | Firmenich | Friesland Foods | Frutarom | Givaudan | Groupe Danone | H J Heinz | Kellogg | Kraft Foods | La Morella Nuts | Lipid Nutrition | L’Oréal | Mars | McDonald's Europe | McNeil Nutritionals | Mead Johnson Nutritionals | Monsanto Europe-Africa | National Starch Food Innovation | Nestlé | Novozymes | PepsiCo International | Procter & Gamble | Raisio | Red Bull | RHM Technology | Roquette Frères | Royal Numico | Sensus | Seven Seas | Südzucker/BENEO Group | Swiss Quality Testing Services | Syral | Tate & Lyle Speciality Sweeteners | Tetra Pak Research | Ülker Bisküvi | Unilever | Valio | Veolia Environment | Wild Flavors | Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods | Wrigley | Yakult Europe

Structure

ILSI contains two main divisions:

• ILSI, International Food Biotechnology Committee(IFBiC)
• ILSI, International Organization Committee(IOC)

ILSI International Food Biotechnology Committee(IFBiC)

IFBiC was established in 1997 to support the development and harmonisation of science based regulations around the world for biotechnology-derived food products and to disseminate science-based information regarding the safety assessment of these products to governments, industry, academia, and other interested groups around the world. This committee was formed based on the needs of ILSI members and the critical roles that ILSI played in the development of two reports.

• A 1990 Report entitled "Biotechnologies and Food: Assuring the Safety of Foods Produced by Genetic Modification" published in the industry-sponsored journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, a collaboration with the International Food Biotechnology Council, which was the first comprehensive guidance document on the food safety assessment for foods derived from biotechnology.

• A series of reports published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition under the leadership of the ILSI Allergy and Immunology Institute (AII), which provided guidance for the assessing the allergenic potential of foods derived from biotechnology.

ILSI International Organization Committee(IOC)

The IOC recommends and implements programmes of interest to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the FAO. ILSI is a recognised nongovernmental organisation by WHO and has specialised consultatative status with FAO.

ILSI's status with WHO downgraded following protests

In late January 2006 the World Health Organization decided that ILSI "can no longer take part in WHO activities setting microbiological or chemical standards for food and water, the UN health agency's executive board decided Friday in Geneva, Switzerland." ILSI was barred "from helping set global standards for protecting food and water supplies because of its funding sources". However, it remains one of the NGOs with accreditation as an observer at WHO meetings.

According to an article by Dr Michael F. Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, published in the International Journal of Occupational Health:

The WHO chastised ILSI for “the failure to fully disclose ILSI’s funding sources,” advocacy of “public health policy directions... that are counter to accepted nutrition policy (especially related to obesity, alcohol, caries and chronic disease causes and means of control); and a perception that many of [ILSI’s] developing country partners and recipients of funds are unaware of ILSI’s [industry] funding base.”

The downgrading of ILSI's status followed a letter protesting ILSI's role in setting standards from the Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Working Group, United Steelworkers of America and a coalition of other groups.

EFSA chief resigns from ILSI after conflict of interest accusations

In October 2010 the science journal Nature reported that Diana Banati, the chair of the management board of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), had resigned from the European board of directors of ILSI. Banati's departure from ILSI followed an accusation from French MEP José Bové that the published declaration of interests of Bánáti failed to mention that in April 2010 she had joined the European board of directors of ILSI. Bové added that EFSA "was under the control of the agri-food industry".

Nature reported that Banati's action was that recommended by Marion Nestle, an expert on nutrition and the food industry at New York University, who said that were she Banati, "she would resign from the ILSI board."

Banati, director general of Hungary's Central Food Research Institute in Budapest, who was chair of the EFSA management board from October 2008 to 30 June 2010, was reelected to the position on 21 October at the first meeting of the new board, whose members were renewed in July. "Professor Diana Banati has resigned from positions which may create a potential conflict of interests with EFSA activities," said an EFSA statement following the meeting.

ILSI publications

ILSI Assembly of members, 2002.

Contact details

One Thomas Circle, NW

9th Floor

Washington, DC 20005 – 5802

USA

Tel 00 1 202 659 0074

Fax 00 1 202 659 3859

e-mail ilsi@ilsi.org

External links

• Sarah Boseley 'WHO "infiltrated by food industry"' The Guardian Thursday January 9, 2003
• Sarah Boseley 'Sugar industry threatens to scupper WHO' The Guardian Monday April 21, 2003
• Sarah Boseley 'WHO 'buried' report to please food industry' The Guardian Wednesday November 3, 2004
• Liam McDougall, 'Sugar Wars; Obesity is a global crisis and at its heart is our love of sugary food' Sunday Herald, Feb 29, 2004.
• John Helperin, "WHO to Rely Less on U.S. Research", Washington Post, January 27, 2006.