The IFT white paper emphasizes food processing as essential for global food and nutrition security, ensuring availability, safety, affordability, and sustainability. While often criticized, processing improves nutrient bioavailability, reduces waste, and extends shelf life. Emerging technologies like microwave-assisted sterilization, high-pressure processing, fermentation, and advanced filtration enhance nutrition while lowering energy use and environmental impact. Challenges include high costs, regulatory delays, workforce training, and consumer misconceptions that equate “processed” with unhealthy. IFT proposes “Good Processing Practices” to embed sustainability and nutrition principles across the food chain, supported by public-private partnerships, research, and global collaboration.

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