Dutch food scientist Huub Lelieveld of the Netherlands was celebrated as the 2026 World Food Prize Laureate at a high-level ceremony presided over by Iowa Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer, who delivered the Laureate Proclamation, as the World Food Prize celebrated its 40th anniversary. Lelieveld received the $500,000 World Food Prize for his pioneering work establishing global food safety standards and harmonizing food regulations to ensure safe food for all.
Instead of retiring after a 40-year career as a food scientist at Unilever, Lelieveld founded the Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI) in 2004, an organization which connects more than 1,600 volunteer experts working to advance science-based food safety and remove barriers to the safe distribution of food. The movement he built, spanning 113 countries, has helped prevent millions of cases of foodborne illness, dismantle barriers to trade and humanitarian aid, and reduce food loss and waste.
The ceremony, which marked 40 years of the World Food Prize, closed the 2026 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, where over 1,500 participants from more than 65 countries gathered under the theme “Before Hunger Wins.” The dialogue will return in October 2027.
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