Research Impact
As one of the Global Research Institutes established at Queen's in 2016, IGFS has a remit to deliver impactful research, designed to help meet global challenges, such as food insecurity.
It does this via a vibrant and integrated research and impact environment, conducting globally competitive and sustainable research. Key examples of our impact include the Elliott Review (for UK Government) on food safety after the horsemeat scandal; determining the impact of intensive animal farming on climate change and land use; changes to EU and US food-safety legislation as a direct result of IGFS research into arsenic levels in rice; changes to animal-welfare legislation regarding crustaceans as a direct result of research into the sentience of invertebrates.
Our research clearly maps on to many UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Zero Hunger; Good Health; Clean Water; Climate Action. In the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact rankings, we were placed No 19 (out of 628 institutions) for Life Below Water; and No 9 (out of 741 institutions) for Life On Land.
The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) designated IGFS as an IAEA Collaborating Centre in 2021, recognising its global reach in food safety, authenticity and traceability.
See below for some ongoing examples of our impact: