ICSU-IUFoST-IUNS Food Chain Symposia at the XII IUFoST World Congress, Chicago, USA,
July 16-20, 2003

The International Council for Sciences (ICSU) represented by the Executive Director, Professor Thomas Rosswall, IUNS, represented by Professor Mark L Wahlqvist (President), Professor Osman Galal (Secretary General) and IUFoST, led by Professor Walter Spiess (President) conducted a series of 3 Symposia during the Chicago Conference which excited a great deal of interest.  Of over-riding concern was how the International Science and Technology Community could contribute to Poverty Alleviation and Food Security, especially in Africa.  There was a broadening of the concepts and scope of Food and Nutrition Science and Technology and a recognition of new partnership between science-based organzations and disciplines.  The pressing need for cooperation with the environmental sciences and neuro-behavioural sciences was stress.  The changing face of human nutrition, its assessment, requirements and optimisation were explored, particularly with regard to advances in food chemistry, science and technology.

Elsewhere in the programme, the announcement that Catherine Bertini, Director of the UN WFP (World Food Programme) had been awarded the World Food Project and the outstanding plenary address by Ismail Serageldin, former Vice-President of the World Bank and now Director of the Library of Alexandria provided a framework for much debate and discussion about the changing world food-health scene.  Dr Serageldin's principal conclusion was that neither science and technology alone, nor economic reform would adequately, and in timely fashion, address the global problem of extreme poverty for 1.2 billion people and their associated hunger, but that our "moral outrage" at this situation could and would.