History

The proposal to form the International Union of Nutritional Sciences was first discussed in July 1946 in London, where a meeting had been convened by the British Nutrition Society. This meeting was attended by 22 research workers from 13 countries. Two years later, a meeting of an International Provisional Committee was held with sessions in London on 10 and 11 June 1948. Statutes and bylaws were discussed, and the principal objects of the Union were defined as: a) the exchange of information, b) the organization of international congresses, c) the publication of the results of scientific investigation. A small Executive Committee was appointed, and Professor E.J. Bigwood (Belgium) was elected Chairperson, and Dr. Leslie J. Harris (UK) Secretary General.

Since then the Union has grown steadily. At first the holding of the congresses was its main task, but, in the course of the years, other equally important activities have developed which need long-term planning and efficient administration.

The work of the Union is directed by the General Assembly, which meets at the time of the international congresses. The General Assembly, consisting of delegates appointed by the Adhering Bodies, is the highest authority of the Union, and the Council serves as an executive group between the meetings of the Assembly. The number of the delegates from the Adhering Body depends on the membership category which the Body has chosen. Members adhere to the Union through National Academies or other appropriate scientific groups. At present the Union has 79 full members plus 1 in observer status, and 15 affiliated bodies.

The international congresses have been held as follows:

	Basle 1952, attendance 150 from 18 countries.
	Amsterdam 1954, attendance 360 from 32 countries.
	Paris 1957, attendance 1000 from 22 countries, 367 papers.
	Washington 1960, attendance 2000 from 65 countries, 413 papers.
	Edinburgh 1963, attendance 1500 from 63 countries, 225 papers.
	Hamburg 1966, attendance 2100 from 81 countries, 800 papers.
	Prague 1969, attendance 1800 from 62 countries, 896 papers.
	Mexico City 1972, attendance 2000 from 66 countries, 834 papers.
	Kyoto 1975, attendance 2300 from 55 countries, 900 papers.
	Rio de Janeiro 1978, attendance 3500 from 92 countries, 1200 papers.
	San Diego 1981, attendance 2500 from 83 countries, 1011 papers.
	Brighton 1985, attendance 2300 from 92 countries.
	Seoul 1989, attendance 3500 from 104 countries.
	Adelaide 1993, attendance 2600 from 91 countries.
	Montreal 1997, attendance 3250 from 92 countries.
	Vienna 2001, attendance 3550 from 113 countries.
	Durban 2005, attendance 2100 from 92 countries.

Upcoming congresses are as follows:

	Thailand, 2009
	Spain, 2013

According to the IUNS Statutes and Rules of Procedure, Commissions and Committees are established to accomplish more extensive international cooperation among scientists in nutrition-related research and education. The work of the Committees is expected frequently to result in reports that are published, subsequent to their approval by the President. Several important meetings of individual Committees have been held and large conferences of the Commissions and Committees have been arranged. In the selection of the personnel for the Committees, due consideration is given to balanced geographical representation from different areas. The Commissions and Committees work in close collaboration with each other under the supervision of the President and the three Vice-Presidents. For financial reasons much of the work is done by correspondence.

At the 1968 meeting of the General Assembly of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), the IUNS was elected to membership. The admission to ICSU was an important step in the history of IUNS: the Union's status as an independent scientific body was thus recognized; its financial situation was improved by ICSU grants; and appropriate collaboration with other scientific organizations and participation in current international projects were strengthened. The International Unions of Biological Sciences, Physiological Sciences, Biochemistry, Pure and Applied Biophysics, Pharmacology, Immunological and Micro-biological Societies, with the IUNS, form the so-called "Bio-Unions" of ICSU.

The IUNS has a special consultative status with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Administrative Committee on Coordination/Subcommittee on Nutrition and is an associate member of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS), and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations University (UNU). Close cooperation exists with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and various ICSU bodies, and with the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), including establishing joint committees and working groups.

The IUNS Secretariat for the period of 1997-2005 is housed in the School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles.