World Food Safety Day serves as a global reminder of the critical importance of safe food in ensuring human health, economic development, and sustainable food systems. In 2025, the theme “Food Safety: Science in Action” underscores the vital role of scientific research in identifying risks, shaping policy, and safeguarding our food from production to consumption.
At IFPRI, our research continues to inform evidence-based solutions that strengthen food systems and ensure food safety across regions. This year, we highlight a selection of our recent work that reflect how evidence-based research is actively shaping safer, more resilient food systems:
Medium-scale livestock farms in Asia’s rapidly transforming food systems
Current debates often overlook medium-scale monogastric livestock farms in the Global South, which play a unique and vital role in food systems. This piece explores their social, technological, and policy dimensions. Read the full paper
The adoption and impact of food safety measures on smallholder dairy farmers’ economic welfare: Evidence from the Indo-Gangetic plains of India.
The study assesses farm-level adoption of food safety measures in India, calling for price incentives, better infrastructure, and stronger formal markets to enhance food safety practices.
Read the full paper here.
Informal trade in agricultural commodities along the Nepal-India border
Informal trade raises several other concerns—particularly for food products. As such goods enter the market evading customs duties, they also bypass formal testing and certification processes, meaning there can be health and food safety risks for consumers…Read the full blogpost
Reforming agricultural extension to build resilient and sustainable food systems: Insights from National and International Consultations
Food systems around the world face growing challenges. They must be transformed to sustainably feed a growing global population and made more resilient to shocks…Read the full blogpost
Reducing food loss and waste for climate outcomes: Insights from national consultations in Bangladesh, Malawi and Nepal
Reducing food loss and waste (FLW) is crucial to improving food security, reducing malnutrition, and providing livelihoods for food system workers…Read the full blogpost