About the Mars Global Food Safety Center
We believe everyone has the right to safe food. The Mars Global Food Safety Center strives to generate new scientific and technological insights to raise the bar on food safety.
Our Approach
We embrace our responsibility to help all stakeholders in the global food supply chain understand food safety risks and find new or improved solutions. We collaborate with global partners to increase food safety awareness through knowledge sharing, education, and training. Our global team conducts original, collaborative research using cutting edge approaches which are shared openly through scientific publications and forums.
Scientific Research
Accelerating discovery and adoption of new techniques and methods that will enhance food safety globally.
Capability Building Through Training & External Engagement
Together with our partners we create and deliver food safety training programs and educational insights that promote food safety awareness and encourage best practice. We leverage the skills and knowledge of a global network of universities and research institutions to exchange insights and raise the bar in food safety.
Partnerships & Collaborations
We work with more than 25 partner organizations and academic institutions to foster collaboration, share knowledge, expertise, technology and scientific excellence.
Our Research
The Mars Global Food Safety Center is committed to generating new knowledge and improving food safety capabilities and methodologies, because the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today.
We believe everyone has the right to safe food. Yet food safety risks are increasing at an unprecedented rate, and new threats and hazards keep emerging. Each year almost one in ten people in the world fall ill after eating contaminated food. Illness linked to unsafe food overloads healthcare systems and damages economies, trade and tourism. As the human population grows and climate change exerts pressure, it is critical we invest in food safety science and technology-based solutions.
We focus on three key long-term food safety challenges: mycotoxin risk management, microbial risk management and food integrity. Click below to read our peer-reviewed papers and abstracts.
Our Team
At Mars, we know the world we want tomorrow starts with our people. At the Mars Global Food Safety Center, we take great pride in our Associates, without which none of this would be possible. The diversity of our team and the way we work together with our partners enables us to take a truly multidisciplinary approach to the complex food safety challenges we are addressing. Meet a few members of our team.
Guangtao Zhang Director, Mars Global Food Safety Center
Dr. Guangtao Zhang is the Director of the Mars Global Food Safety Center (GFSC). Dr. Zhang has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China and an MSc and PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Washington. After holding a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University, he was a faculty member at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, developing therapeutics for breast cancer. He joined Mars in 2015 as Analytical Food Safety Manager, becoming Head of Research in 2018 and then Director of the Mars GFSC in 2021. Now, he is leading the team to address the most significant food safety challenges facing global food supply chains through scientific research in the areas of mycotoxin risk management, microbial risk management, and food integrity. Dr. Zhang has presented at numerous international food safety conferences in areas of food safety, allergen management, applied and operational food safety at China International Food Safety and Quality Conference, World Mycotoxin Forum, and Food Safety Analysis. Dr. Zhang has published a number of research articles, reviews, patent filings, white papers, and technical notes.
Take a Tour of Our Virtual Reality Laboratory
Step inside the Mars Global Food Safety Center (GFSC) and learn how we meet the commitment of “Tomorrow starts today” by taking an immersive tour with content including a voice over tour guide, interactive screens and video content. In this virtual tour, you can visit the public area including our reception and exhibition halls, before exploring, the Mars GFSC laboratories to learn more about the innovations our scientists are achieving in our three critical research areas – mycotoxin risk management, microbial risk management and food integrity management.
Take the Virtual Reality Tour
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Mars, Incorporated opened the Global Food Safety Center in 2015, driving a scientific approach to food safety, fostering collaboration and enabling partnership with academia, governments, non-governmental organizations and industries to raise the bar and ensure safe food for all.
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If you have any questions about the Mars Global Food Safety Center or you are enquiring about research collaboration, training opportunities or are a journalist, please email us.
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