Foundation date: CIAD was created by a presidential Decree, published in the Official Registry of the Federation (Diario Oficial de la Federación) on Tuesday 22nd of September 1981. On the 16th of March 1982, CIAD was set up as a public research institution. On the 31st of March 2000 the Board of Director  CIAD was recognized under the Law for the promotion of Scientific and Technological Research.

Foundation background: CIAD was created through the joint efforts of the Ministry of Education (Secretaría de Educación Pública), National Council for Science and Technology (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología), the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), the National Polytechnic Institute (Instituto Politécnico Nacional) and the Government of the State of Sonora. In 1993 the Fisheries Ministry (Secretaría de Pesca). In the following years the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, (Secretaría de Agicultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación), the Government of the State of Sinaloa and  the Government of the State of Chihuahua became a Members of the Board.

From its beginning CIAD offered alternatives to the problems of the food sector in Mexico, carrying out studies, consultancies and services for the agricultural, fisheries, industrial and commercial sectors. CIAD had impacts in three basic areas: 1) the production, preservation, quality and commercialisation of food, 2) health and biological development of the human being; and 3) the socio-economic impact of the processes of economic development and international integration.

From a geographical perspective, initially CIAD’s area of influence was orientated at the state of Sonora, this rapidly expanded to the whole of the Northwest region (Noroeste) of the country and more recently to the of whole of Mexico. This rapid expansion of influence was the consequence of repeated acknowledgement of its academic success and its growing capacity to answer and bring efficient solutions to the different and complex problems posed by institutions from the public, social and private sectors. Another crucial factor in this acknowledged success and influence has been its contribution to the formation of highly qualified human resources in the area of nutrition and foods, in just 10 years CIAD became the national institution with the highest number of MSc graduates in the areas of nutrition and food technology. All of the above was mainly possible due to the great availability of human resources of high quality, the spirit of the group seeded and cultured through many years and the infrastructure and analytical equipment, which have permitted production of the expected results to demanding organisations.

CIAD’s vitality lays in the acknowledgement of its reason for being, establishing itself as an organisation which searches to expand the borders of knowledge that will contribute to increasing social welfare. This is being achieved through proposals to reduce the problems of marginal groups, malnutrition and deformation that exist with in the competitive structure of the Mexican food system. Solutions from these proposals provide knowledge and technology to: a) improve the foods and feeding at all levels, b) select projects which have a better cost to profit relationship, specially those for the marginal groups and c) contribute to insure the quality and security of food.

INTEGRATION and FUNCTIONING of the CENTRE: The Centre counts with the following committees to its operation:

• General Assembly
• Directive Council
• General Direction
• External Evaluation Committee
• Committee of self assessment (Organo de Vigilancia); and
• Others determined by the General Assembly and the Directive Council according to their powers.

The General Assembly is the supreme committee of the Association and the Directive Council its governing committee.

The General Assembly of Associates constitutes of:

• The federal government represented by the Public Education Secretary, the Environment and Natural Resources Secretary and the National Research and Technology Council.
• The National Autonomous University of Mexico
• The National Polytechnic Institute
• The State Government of Sonora
• The State Government of Sinaloa
• The State Government of Chihuahua.
• The Northwest Centre of Biological Research (Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C.)

MISSION: We are an Institution dedicated to carry out scientific and technological research in food and development, to the formation of postgraduate human resources and to the diffusion of knowledge in our areas of expertise, therefore contributing to the economic and social welfare of the country.

ACADEMIC STRUCTURE: CIAD is constituted by 9 Administrative Areas: 1) Nutrition; 2) Food Science; 3) Technology of Food of Vegetable Origin; 4) Technology of Food of Animal Origin; 5) Development; 6) Aquaculture and Environmental Management; 7) Physiology and Post-harvest Technology of Fruits and Vegetables; 8) Quality and Use of Natural Resources and 9) Physiology and Technology of Food from Template Regions. Out of the 9 areas, 5 are in the city of Hermosillo y 4 are located in different strategic points of the country. The research projects being carried out can be grouped according to the following areas and research lines:

WORK STRATEGIC LINES:

NUTRITION: In this academic area, the following research lines are being carried out:

• Chemical analysis of primary products and food composition
• Feeding, Health and Social Welfare

FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,

• Food Toxicology.
• Physiology, post-harvest and industrialisation of products from vegetable origin.
• Packing and shelf life of food.
• Food safety and implementation of quality systems.
• Microbiology and Parasitology of foods.
• Phytopathology.
• Engineering and Physicochemistry of foods and food ingredients.
• Development of new food products.
• Adulteration of foods.
• Biochemistry and Biotechnology of foods.

AQUACULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

• Pathology and Nutrition of aquatic organisms.
• Aquaculture and Biotechnology of marine organisms.
• Ecotoxicology, Management and Conservation natural resources.

FOOD AND DEVELOPMENT.

• Socio-economy of feeding and agro strategies.
• Feeding systems and rural processes.