IFPRI has identified the following four areas or research foci to enhance food and water safety, and thereby improve food security and reduce poverty:

1. To understand the dynamic relationship between food and water safety, and food security and how these relationships can be influenced through appropriate institutional mechanisms and technologies
2. To evaluate the cost of compliance of increased food safety requirements on smallholders in light of increased Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary (SPS) measures including in developing countries
3. To identify cost-effective control strategies available to the poor to reduce the risk of a specific food hazard so as to maintain market access (domestic and international)
4. To assess the uptake of food/water safety interventions on food security, health, and nutrition to develop tools for monitoring and evaluating the impact of interventions