Mars to Open Food Safety Center in China

Mars, Incorporated (McLean, Virginia, USA) has announced the opening of its Global Food Safety Center, a first-of-its-kind facility for pre-competitive research and training that aims to raise global food safety standards through collaboration. Located in Huairou, China, just north of Beijing, the center will feature analytical chemistry and microbiology laboratories, interactive training laboratories, and a conference auditorium to enhance knowledge sharing. The center is part of Mars’ ongoing commitment to working with world‑leading experts to ensure the safety and security of food.   The Mars Global Food Safety Center will leverage insights and expertise from over 60 Mars partnerships dedicated to innovative, sustainable, and responsible food safety practices. The World Food Programme (WFP), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), and the IBM/Mars Consortium for Sequencing the Food Supply Chain are among the organizations Mars is partnering with to try to solve the challenge of feeding a global population expected to grow to nine billion by 2050.    Grant Reid, President and CEO of Mars, Incorporated, commented: “Food safety is a global issue that concerns us all - business, governments, academics, and the world’s population. Working together across all disciplines is the only way we can truly advance efforts at scale, with the ultimate goal of increasing access to safe nutrition for billions of people around the world.”   David Crean, Vice President, Corporate R&D at Mars Incorporated, added: “Unlike an R&D or innovation center focused on product development and improvement, the Mars Global Food Safety Center is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing food safety research through collaboration and the pre-competitive sharing of information.”   For more information please visit www.mars.com