International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI)
ILSI: Collaborative science for safe, nutritious and sustainable food.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
ILSI Global collaborates with leading scientists from academia, government, and industry to identify and resolve precompetitive scientific issues of common concern. Because of their unique public-private make up, ILSI Entities fill knowledge gaps and serve society in ways that any one organization on its own cannot. ILSI embraces respectful dialogue on food safety, nutrition and health, risk science and toxicology, and sustainable agriculture from stakeholders with widely varying perspectives from government, academia and industry. ILSI’s multi-sector operating model is specifically designed so that no one interest dominates. Decisions about our research efforts require representation and agreement by government, academic and industry scientists. ILSI has a commitment to achieve and maintain the highest standards of scientific integrity through our Principles for Scientific Integrity, found in our Mandatory Policies. Learn more at ILSI.org
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Food Safety
ILSI’s food safety programs contribute to better prevention, detection, and response to intentional and unintentional contamination of our food and water systems.
ILSI's food safety programs contribute to better prevention, detection, and response to intentional and unintentional contamination of the food supply.
Learn more about ILSI's Food Safety Program: https://ilsi.org/science-research/food-safety/
Nutrition & Health
ILSI’s comprehensive nutrition and health programs are designed to improve scientific understanding of nutritional requirements throughout the lifecycle; food components that contribute to health beyond basic nutrition; eating behavior; healthy aging; and more.
ILSI's nutrition and health programs are comprehensive.
ILSI's programs are designed to improve scientific understanding of eating behavior; nutrition throughout the lifecycle; food components that contribute to health beyond basic nutrition; and much more.
Learn more at https://ilsi.org/science-research/nutrition-health/.
Risk Science & Toxicology
ILSI translates science into practical tools that help protect the health of the environment, ensure the safety of our food and water supplies, and demonstrate the safety and efficacy of drugs and consumer products.
ILSI’s very first work in 1978 focused on the toxicology and risk/benefit of food ingredients. Since then, our clinical research and translation of science into practical tools has expanded to many areas of risk science, including its application to environmental safety; food and water safety; drug safety; and consumer product safety.
Learn more at https://ilsi.org/science-research/risk-science-toxicology/.
Sustainable Agriculture & Nutrition Security
ILSI’s programs in sustainable agriculture and nutrition security deal with the challenges of increased food demand and impacts of climate change on food systems through an informed, collaborative approach.
ILSI’s programs in sustainable agriculture and nutrition security deal with the challenges of increased global food demand and regional impacts of climate change in an informed, collaborative, and sustainable manner.
Learn more at https://ilsi.org/science-research/sustainable-agriculture-nutrition-security/.
COVID-19 Webinar Series
ILSI is proud to bring together thousands of world-class scientific leaders to address scientific topics from many different perspectives. We know that public-private partnerships are important because diverse perspectives make research stronger. This multi-sector approach to tackling scientific questions ensures representation of a variety of viewpoints and helps to create robust processes for research, risk assessment, educational activities, and capacity building.
Learn more at https://ilsi.org/covid-19-webinar-recordings/
Maternal and Child Nutrition Improvement in Southeast Asia Region
ILSI SEA Region’s Technical Committee and Expert Panel on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) was established in 2008-2009. The Expert Panel is comprised of more than 10 SEA regional researchers and experts with the objective of facilitating the review and updating scientific understanding and nutrition related issues on maternal, early childhood nutrition and growth development. The Expert Panel aims to identify research gaps and recommend research needs; the development and publication of scientific documents to share status and available data, as well as recommendations on utilization of science-based information for health improvement program implementation.
Learn more at https://ilsi.org/science-research/maternal-and-child-nutrition-improvement-in-southeast-asia-region/.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of website sessions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of website pageviews
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of new website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
ILSI generates and advances groundbreaking research to ensure foods are safe, nutritious and sustainable to help overcome global food challenges.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Through publishing peer-reviewed research, hosting convenings of experts to discuss and advance important issues to public health and nutrition, and fostering effective, efficient public-private partnerships.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
ILSI staff around the world – at ILSI Global’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. and throughout 10 additional ILSI entities – as well as its members and valued expert volunteers who donate their time and expertise to uphold ILSI's flawless scientific publication track record, its commitment to the highest scientific standards and its adherence to rigorous scientific principles demonstrating scientific integrity.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
ILSI, a global nonprofit federation dedicated to generating and advancing research in nutrition, food safety and sustainability, continued to provide opportunities for scientists and experts to publish their research, attend trainings and participate in insightful, innovative events. Through support from members, ILSI was able to host informative programming to make a difference in the health and well-being of people around the world.
To further its support of students in nutrition and food science, as well as early-career scientists, ILSI
published the 11th edition of the accessible, comprehensive resource, Present Knowledge in Nutrition. This textbook provides current, reliable and sourced information on a variety of important topics, from basic nutrition and metabolism to the microbiome and the role of nutrition in cognition. Divided into two volumes for improved portability, ILSI’s textbook is a go-to resource for advanced undergraduate students, as well as graduate and postgraduate students. Even experienced, seasoned nutrition experts find Present Knowledge in Nutrition a helpful resource to have on their bookshelves.
ILSI hopes to continue its growth to have a tremendous impact on the health and well-being of everyone.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
ILSI is a nonprofit, worldwide organization whose mission is to provide science that improves human health and well-being and safeguards the environment. All ILSI projects must have a primary public purpose and benefit, and must address issues of broad public health interest. All ILSI's activities are conducted in an open and transparent manner and all scientific outcomes are made available to the public to ensure confidence in the integrity of the scientific process.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI)
Board of directorsas of 02/16/2023
Dr. Louise Dye
University of Leeds United Kingdom
Dr. Todd Abraham
Mondelēz International (Retired) USA
Sushila Chang
Griffith University Australia
Alan Boobis, OBE
Imperial College London United Kingdom
Aman Wirakartakusumah, PhD
MI International Business School Indonesia
Jimmy Tsai
Chung Yuan University, Taiwan
Cristina Nerin
University of Zaragoza Spain
Connie Weaver
San Diego State University & Weaver and Associates Consulting LLC. United States
Susanne Kettler
Firmenich USA
Sara Valdés
University of Mexico Mexico
Michael Doyle (Ex-officio)
University of Georgia (Retired) USA Past Co-Chair, ILSI Board of Trustees
Kerr Dow (Ex-officio)
Cargill, Incorporated (Retired) USA Past Co-Chair, ILSI Board of Trustees
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/16/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.