Newswise — (Washington, D.C., March 31, 2011) — Noting the importance of having a collective international resource of food-specific risk communication materials, the International Center of Excellence in Food Risk Communication is announcing its formation and its new website, www.foodriskcommunications.org.

The Center is a collaborative initiative among global food and health organizations, government agencies, academic institutions, and nonprofit communication experts to help ensure effective communication and informed decision-making about food risks from farm to fork. Founding International Partner Organizations include:

•Food Standards Australia New Zealand•Health Canada•International Food Information Council Foundation•Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition•National Center for Food Protection and Defense•United States Department of Agriculture

The Center’s website provides resources to help government officials, health professionals, academicians, food producers, journalists, the public, and others communicate concepts, practices, research, and data about food safety, nutrition, and health. The website also includes content from other leading global institutions involved in risk communication.

Key goals of the Center include:

Increasing the effectiveness of food risk communication, thereby enabling informed decisions about food safety, nutrition, and health;

Convening credible and influential governmental, communications, and health authorities to maximize their individual and collective reach and effectiveness for the public good; and

Contributing to the international body of knowledge on food risk communication.

Working closely with the International Partner Organizations, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation serves as the primary facilitator of the Center and manages its website. The IFIC Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization with the mission of effectively communicating science-based information on health, nutrition, and food safety for the public good.

For additional questions about the International Center of Excellence in Food Risk Communication please contact [email protected] or 202-296-6540.

About the International Center of Excellence in Food Risk Communication The mission of the International Center of Excellence in Food Risk Communication is to provide resources to help government officials, health professionals, academicians, food producers, journalists, the public, and other stakeholders communicate and understand concepts, practices, research, and data about food safety, nutrition, and health. International Partner Organizations of the Center include Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Health Canada, International Food Information Council Foundation, Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, National Center for Food Protection and Defense, and the United States Department of Agriculture.