IFIS is an academic publishing company and not-for-profit organisation operating in the sciences of food and health.[1]

IFIS
IFIS Publishing
IndustryPublishing
GenreAcademic
Founded1968
Headquarters

Based in Reading, IFIS produces the online bibliographic database, FSTA, a resource which the company has offered since 1969. FSTA (Food Science and Technology Abstracts) includes over 2 million scientific non-predatory records from trusted sources, all related to disciplines surrounding food and beverages.

As a not-for-profit organisation and educational charity, IFIS:

  • offers access to researchers in developing countries through the Research4Life programmes, HINARI, ARDI, OARE and AGORA.[2]
  • provides training and develops educational resources for the food community; for example, a best practice guide for literature searching[3] and online learning module for how to research effectively.[4]

IFIS work with a global network of regulatory experts in their Meet the Partners tool,[5] and they produce Escalex Limits News and Alerts, a curated news and alerts service for legal developments in food.[6]

IFIS also produces, in association with Wiley Blackwell, the Dictionary of Food Science & Technology, now in its second edition.[7]

History

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Originally known as the International Food Information Service, IFIS was established in 1968 by the collaboration of four organisations:[8]

The company was originally based at Lane End House in Shinfield, and moved to The Granary on Bridge Farm in Arborfield. Having moved in June 2020, they are now based in Winnersh Triangle, Berkshire, UK.

FSTA – Food Science and Technology Abstracts

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FSTA is a bibliographic abstracting and indexing (A&I) database for scientific and technological information relating to food, beverages, and nutrition. It contains over 1.5 million indexed records, with full-text links where available, covering over 5,475 active and historical journals, books, trade publications, reviews, conference proceedings, reports, patents, and standards.

The database is updated weekly with all records indexed against IFIS' thesaurus, containing over 13,000 food science keywords, curated and structured into hierarchies. The resource is used by researchers, industry practitioners, and students,[9] and it contains information sources in 29 languages, sourced from publishers in over 60 countries.

Coverage includes all major commodities in the food and beverage industry, related applied and pure sciences, pet foods, food psychology, food economics, food safety, and more.[10]

FSTA can be accessed through EBSCOhost,[11] Ovid,[12] Proquest Dialog,[13] STN[14] and Web of Science.[15]

Launched in February 2022, was the FSTA database - with new full-text capability. FSTA with Full Text is produced in collaboration with EBSCO and is available exclusively on the EBSCO platform. Allowing users to quickly discover authoritative, food-focused research. Topics include::

  • Biotechnology
  • Food safety
  • Omics technologies
  • Pet foods
  • Sport science
  • Sustainability

References

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  1. ^ "Official website". IFIS Official Website. IFIS. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Research4Life". IFIS and Research4Life. Research4Life. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Literature Search Best Practice". IFIS Publishing. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  4. ^ "E-learning Course for Effective Searching". IFIS Publishing. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Meet the Partners". IFIS Publishing. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Escalex Limits News and Alerts". IFIS Publishing. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Wiley Blackwell - Dictionary Entry". IFIS Publishing and Wiley Blackwell. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Four Companies". About IFIS. IFIS. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Yelp IFIS Entry". Yelp. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  10. ^ "FSTA" (online). IFIS. 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  11. ^ "EBSCOHost - FSTA". EBSCO. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Ovid - FSTA". Ovid. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Dialog - FSTA" (PDF). Retrieved 27 April 2017 – via ProQuest.
  14. ^ "STN - FSTA" (PDF). STN. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  15. ^ "Web of Science - FSTA". Thomson Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2017.