Researchers in Belfast teamed up with the Mars Global Food Safety Center and Agilent Technologies to help farmers and producers, particularly in the developing world, more easily identify fraud. Dr Terry McGrath reflects on the experience  

The carbon footprint of British pig farming has reduced by almost 40% over the last 20 years, according to a new study, using a new methodology, led by IGFS.

Cooking with young children isn't just playful and fun (and messy!) - it's been proven to help with motor skills, educational outcomes and dietary behaviour in later life. Professor Moira Dean and Dr Fiona Lavelle report

A research project to tackle bovine mastitis and reduce the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics on dairy farms – and so potentially help in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – is underway at IGFS in partnership with AgriSearch and AFBI.

As we embark on yet another lockdown, are there lessons to be learned from last year? New research from IGFS shows we changed how we cooked, ate and shopped for food in 2020 - sometimes for the better, but not always, as Dr Fiona Lavelle explains

How we shop for food, cook and eat has changed significantly during the Covid19 pandemic, an international survey led by Queen’s University Belfast reveals.

A promising new test for Johne’s Disease (JD) in dairy cattle has been developed at IGFS and the School of Biological Sciences.

Damage caused to human cells during spaceflight appears to be the underlying cause of health issues observed in astronauts, it has been discovered by researchers from the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) and School of Biological Sciences.

IGFS has joined forces with homegrown Great British Bake Off star Andrew Smyth and Jamie Oliver’s team to bid for a place in Festival UK* 2022 - a massive showcase of arts and science creativity to take place across the UK in 2022.

EIT Food Seedbed Showcase Event at Queen's: Hear from agri-food start-ups with revolutionary agri-food technologies

How safe is your Sage? That’s the question posed by researchers at the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) after finding more than a quarter of samples of the popular herb were adulterated – some by as much as 58%.

Scientists from IGFS helped identify the cause of a crisis – and avert a larger catastrophe – in humanitarian aid to Africa run by the World Food Programme (WFP), it has emerged.

An independent report assessing the carbon intensity of UK livestock production systems has identified that currently available technologies cannot deliver even half the industry’s 2050 carbon emissions reduction goal.

As part of its Covid-19 response, IGFS is offering a free, online course in partnership with the international knowledge and innovation community, EIT Food to help cultivate a new generation of food experts.

IGFS researchers and leading agri technology company Devenish have partnered on a longitudinal study to prove the negative effect of low levels of mycotoxins on broiler chicken health and performance.

The ASSET Technology Centre, at the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) at Queen’s University Belfast, has been recognised in the area of combatting food fraud.

A leading expert in food safety and authenticity, and a longtime partner of IGFS, has received an honorary professorship from Queen’s University Belfast.

It may seem far-fetched, but it’s possible to use your smartphone to detect diseases, write Professor Chris Elliott, Dr Gonçalo Rosas da Silva & Dr Joost Laurus Dinant Nelis

The founder of IGFS, Professor Chris Elliott has been admitted to the eminent Royal Irish Academy along with two other, distinguished Queen's academics.

Testing for COVID-19 is now underway at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), significantly increasing the Department of Health’s testing capacity in Northern Ireland for COVID-19.

The School of Biological Sciences, in which IGFS is anchored, has renewed its Athena Swan Gold Award - making it a third, consecutive Gold for the School.

A project led by IGFS and ECIT has been awarded $310,738 for research towards intelligent welfare monitoring of broiler chickens.

Eating and cooking more at home could be an opportunity to change food habits for the better, writes Dr Danielle McCarthy, Senior Lecturer at IGFS / School of Biological Sciences.

From wildlife roaming free in deserted urban areas to a captive tiger with coronavirus, the impact Covid 19 has had on animals is explored by Dr Neil Reid, Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology.

Cibus Analytical will build on a decade of research at IGFS. As well as offering a lab testing service, it will offer innovative, portable testing tools to allow customers to raplidly test for food authenticity and safety across global supply chains.

The office of the UK Government Chemist and the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen's have partnered on a review of methods and issues related to determining the authenticity of commercial coconut water.

A leading academic from IGFS and the School of Biological Sciences, Dr Simon Doherty, has been invited to chair a high-level European working group in the area of food integrity.  

Dr Jean Kennedy, Head of Research Resources with leading, international agri-technology company Devenish, has joined Queen’s University Belfast as Entrepreneur in Residence.  

A leading member of the Northern Ireland business community has received an honorary professorship from Queen’s University Belfast.

For International Women's Day 2020, we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of the female staff who help make IGFS the great research institution that it is today

Queen’s University Belfast will engage with some of the most hotly contested topics of our time when students from all over Ireland converge on its campus for the annual Great Agri-Food Debate.

New research by an international team, including two nutritionists from IGFS, aims to better understand the link between diet and disease in India.

Researchers from Queen’s have questioned the World Health Organisation’s blanket classification of processed meat as carcinogenic after finding significant evidence gaps between processed meat treated with nitrites and nitrite-free processed meat

Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences and IGFS have found noise pollution is threatening the survival of more than 100 different species

New study led by an IGFS researcher has found that men whose diets include statins - medicine used to lower blood cholesterol - may have a reduced risk of developing a more lethal form of prostate cancer

Researchers at Queen's and Western University have recorded the second ever evidence of transatlantic movement for the endangered marine fish basking sharks

Researchers have discovered that pine martens (Martes martes) are more adaptable in terms of diet than previously thought

Food retail around the British Isles is facing “severe headwinds” according to former Waitrose supermarket MD Lord Mark Price, who delivered the George Scott Robertson Memorial Lecture at Riddel Hall last night

The EIT Food team at IGFS recently hosted its second, annual workshop for small and medium enterprise (SME) businesses with a focus on the challenges facing agriculture

Scientists from IGFS and other parts of Queen's and from AFBI converged recently to discuss the evolution of the formal partnership between the two organisations

The recent Food Allergy, Human, Analytical & Regulatory Implications Conference brought together a wide group of stakeholders to discuss the risk management of food allergies in the supply chain and the regulation and enforcement of food safety

The concept of farmers as “custodians of the environment” may be new, but it is crucial for creating a food-secure future for a global population, a leading commentator has argued

Two scientists from the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) at Queen’s University Belfast have been selected to participate in pioneering, international research in the area of nutrition, preventive medicine and public health

A leading British businessman and politician will consider the future of the UK food and agri-food industries at the George Scott Robertson (GSR) Memorial Lecture, on Wednesday 6 November

IGFS and the Coalition of Aid Agencies in NI (CADA) announce the event, Table for 10 Billion: How to Achieve a Food-Secure World, as part of the inaugural One World Festival

A number of courses delivered through the School of Biological Sciences and IGFS have recently been awarded professional accreditation by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) as well as the Royal Society of Biology

The genome sequencing of the wild Brown Trout – a significant milestone in conservation biology – has been completed by an international team of scientists, including from the Institute for Global Food Security

Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, Alzheimer’s and coronary disease account for the single-largest burden on the public purse in the UK – an estimated £148bn per annum – according to a prominent nutritionist.

Internationally leading figures from the worlds of nutrition, health and agriculture will gather at Queen’s to discuss the opportunity to join up food, farming and diet to improve public-health outcomes for a growing population.

A review paper recently published in the leading peer-reviewed Journal of Fish Biology has unearthed new evidence on how genes and the environment determine the movements of brown trout.

A paper just published in the leading peer-reviewed Journal of Fish Biology looks at the current numbers and genetic diversity of brown trout populations in Southwest Scotland.

Scientists from Queen's Marine Lab have discovered that the scaly-foot snail or as it’s otherwise known, the sea pangolin, is the first species at risk of extinction due to potential deep sea mining by humans.

A big welcome to Dr Simon Cameron, who has been awarded a prestigious Vice-Chancellor’s Fellowship – one of only nine awarded across the University in the latest round.

Noise pollution is making it difficult for birds to communicate with each other and it could lead to a severe decline in numbers, new research from IGFS has found.

A cutting-edge laboratory investigating a new technology and its ability to reduce harmful chemicals and antibiotics in the food chain – and lessen the threat of anti-microbial resistance (AMR) – has been launched.

IGFS researchers are investigating the damage that nano plastics and microplastics can have on the human body.

Queen's University Belfast is delighted to welcome Professor Aedin Cassidy as Director of Interdisciplinary Research at IGFS. She will take up the role on 1 September 2019.

IGFS is delighted to announced its new International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) ahead of the group’s inaugural visit to Queen’s University this week.

A leading academic from IGFS has been selected for one of only eight new major UK funding awards, and the only one in Northern Ireland.

The regeneration of Derry/Londonderry’s riverside area into a scientific research, agricultural, entertainment and tourism facility, along the lines of the Eden Project in Cornwall, would cost around £65million.

Intriguing – and unpredicted – gender differences in the social-play behaviour of young pigs, with links to aggression later in life, have been uncovered by new research from IGFS.

The M&S CEO, Steve Rowe, has delivered the annual KPMG Lecture at Queen's Management School where he announced a new student placement programme.

One of the most high-profile figures from the worlds of environmentalism, tourism and public engagement has been confirmed to deliver the 2019 IGFS Annual Lecture

Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock MP, has held discussions with IGFS academics and representatives from the NI food industry during a visit to Queen's.

Professor Brendan Gilmore has been announced as the Director of the Centre for Plasma in Agri-Food (AgriPlas), which has been established within the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s - watch our video to find out more about the centre.

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, moderate in nuts, fish and alcohol and low in meat and full-fat dairy is associated with better cognitive performance in middle age, according to a new study led by an IGFS researcher.

IGFS is to host a doctoral training programme in partnership with Belfast-based international agri-tech company Devenish, offering two PhD studentships in research areas at the cutting edge of agri-food innovation.

An IGFS researcher who investigates the link between nutrition and cancer has received a prestigious award from a leading cancer charity.

A ground-breaking project at Queen’s to turn non-edible food waste into new forms of packaging – in a bid to reduce plastic – has attracted substantial investment via IGFS in a highly competitive European funding competition.

Researchers at IGFS have developed a highly innovative enzyme biomarker test that has the potential to indicate diseases and bacterial contamination.

IGFS has been awarded 6.1 million euros, in collaboration with 11 other global partner universities and institutions, to develop a test to identify harmful chemicals that affect female fertility.

Key figures from the UK agri-food industry have become official ‘Ambassadors’ for the Institute of Global Food Security (IGFS) at Queen’s University Belfast.

Queen's University Belfast and The University of Aberdeen are bringing together their environmental research and teaching centres of excellence to deliver a unique PhD opportunity for 100 students.

Some of the most imaginative and radical food start-ups from all over the world have been selected to attend the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast on Wednesday 21 November.

IGFS recently teamed up with the Royal Society of Biology and ITN Productions to produce one of a series of news and current affairs-style programmes from around the UK, exploring the breadth and depth of biosciences.

A team of scientists led by Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Roehampton have found basking sharks can jump as fast and as high out of the water as their cousin, the famously powerful and predatory great white shark.

Queen’s University Belfast will hosting AIMday Big Data, AI and the One Health Agenda on Friday 19th October 2018 at Riddel Hall, Queen’s University Belfast.

IGFS recently hosted the inaugural Belfast Summit on Global Food Integrity which attracted over 600 delegates from 47 countries to the Waterfront Hall over four days.

AFBI and Queen’s University Belfast have announced a new strategic alliance to create a globally competitive research and education partnership, developing the next generation of leaders and experts in agri-food and bioscience.

The world’s first ‘blockchain’ beer has been produced in Northern Ireland and will be launched at the Belfast Summit of Global Food Integrity later this month.

IGFS is to establish a dedicated research facility to investigate a new and cutting-edge technology with huge and exciting potential to reduce harmful chemicals and antibiotics in the food chain.

Professor Bob Elwood has won a major award for his pioneering research into the question of whether crustaceans can and do feel pain and the impact of that research.

The IGFS Annual Lecture at Riddel Hall on Tuesday 27 March 2018 was a great success, with a capacity audience made up of representatives from the Northern Ireland agri-food industry, the public sector and academia.

EIT Food is excited to announce the opening of the Global Food Venture's (GFV) application phase!

Researchers at the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) have said that EU laws introduced in January 2016 regarding carcinogen inorganic arsenic should be revised to ensure a lowered concentration of arsenic in baby food.

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have found that nitrates used in the curing process for processed meats can produce chemicals that cause an increased risk of colorectal cancer.

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have partnered with the local agri-food industry to develop a ‘green’ solution to the problem of agricultural ammonia emissions.

The sudden death of 200,000 critically endangered saiga antelopes was caused by unusual environmental conditions, it has emerged.

Projects that bring together the Northern Ireland agri-food industry and scientists from IGFS have received a significant investment, it has been announced.

Applications are now open for six new PhD programmes, funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE). The deadline is Friday 26 January 2018 and details of each of the six studentships can be found below.

An academic from the Institute for Global Food Security has won a major award – and made a little history – for his contributions to peer-reviewing.

‌Top ranking politicians, business figures and other, strategic decision makers from seven key regions across China visited Northern Ireland over the weekend for the UK-China Regional Leaders Summit.

Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast have found that almost half of baby rice food products contain illegal levels of inorganic arsenic despite new regulations set by the EU

The Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast will lead one of the world’s largest food safety projects across Europe and China.

Discover more about the launch of the Food Integrity, Fraud and Traceability Distance Learning module.

More action needs to be taken in order to better protect people with food allergies.

A world-leading expert in animal agriculture and associated supply chains has been appointed Director of Queen’s Institute for Global Food Security. Professor Nigel Scollan will take up the post on 1 September 2016.