The International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) is marking its fifth anniversary in serving the food protection community. Founded in 2009, through a start-up grant generously provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, IFPTI immediately began training thousands of regulatory officials at the state, local, and federal levels. After the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2011, IFPTI’s focus grew cross-sector to include a combination of government (domestic and international) and private sector work. At five years after its founding, IFPTI now has more than 13 major projects providing diverse funding and has become a sustainable nonprofit organization.

IFPTI has created an expansive portfolio over the past five years, including multiple national and international curriculum frameworks; partnerships with domestic and international private and government organizations–including administering the integrated food safety training system for the United States; the Fellowship in Food Protection, a leadership development program now training its fourth cohort; ANSI accreditation; and the Food and Agriculture Protection Training Consortium, a consortium of training centers across the United States. The IFPTI brand has also been consolidated; IFPTI was considered an initiative of its parent organization, the Global Food Protection Institute, but now, all efforts are now operating under the IFPTI brand.

“We have consolidated our branding to focus on our greatest strengths in training systems design and delivery,” said Dr. Julia Bradsher, President and CEO. “IFPTI recognizes its unique role as a thought leader in the food protection community. In the coming years, we look forward to bringing together public and private sector food protection professionals to ultimately improve public health.”

For more information, visit www.ifpti.org.