International Leadership Award

The International Leadership Award recognizes an IAFP Member for their dedication to the high ideals and objectives of the International Association for Food Protection and for promotion of the mission of the Association in countries outside of the United States and Canada. The award consists of an engraved award and a $2,000 honorarium. 

Qualifications for nominees

  • Non-student IAFP Member in good standing at the time of nomination and during the IAFP Annual Meeting when receiving the award
  • An individual working in the food safety field in academia, government, or industry who demonstrates leadership and advances the profession in countries outside the U.S. and Canada. Contributions may include organizing forums for information exchange, providing continuing education, mentoring or training food safety professionals who are conducting food safety work outside of the U.S. and Canada, participating in international initiatives, conducting innovative research, or other activities that strengthen the food safety profession internationally.

Preference will be given to qualified candidates who are non-citizens of the USA and Canada with a minimum 5 years of continuous Membership in IAFP at the time of nomination. Previous recipients of the International Leadership Award, IAFP Executive Board Members, and IAFP Awards Committee Members are not eligible.

  • Sponsored by: Walmart
  • 2026 Recipient(s): Deon Mahoney

Past Awardees

  • 2025 Andrea Isabel Moreno Switt
  • 2024 Vijay K. Juneja
  • 2023 Panagiotis Skandamis
  • 2022 Arie Havelaar
  • 2021 Terence L. T. Lau
  • 2020 Norma Heredia
  • 2019 Marcel Zwietering
  • 2018 Roy Biggs
  • 2017 George-John Nychas
  • 2016 Khalid Mohamed Sharif Alawadhi
  • 2015 Jean-Louis Cordier
  • 2014 John Holah
  • 2013 J. Santos Garcia Alvarado
  • 2012 Bernadette Dora Gombossy de Melo Franco
  • 2011 Patricia Desmarchelier
  • 2010 Maria Teresa Destro
  • 2009 Laurentina Pedroso
  • 2008 F. Xavier Malcata
  • 2007 Leon Gorris
  • 2006 Christopher Griffith
  • 2005 Serve Notermans
  • 2004 Martin B. Cole
  • 2003 Alex von Holy
  • 2002 Tom McMeekin