Make A Difference » Partnership Funds » Eduardo R. Mendez Memorial Fund 

Eduardo R. Mendez

Eduardo was adored by his friends and colleagues, and known for his sense of humor. He was always ready to learn something new and was dedicated to improving the quality of life for his fellow Mexicans.

Mr. Eduardo R. Mendez was renowned in the Mexican food industry and in numerous affiliated professional associations. His technical expertise in the food industry, business acumen, and ability to bring the public and private sectors together, gave him an understanding of the needs of the food industry which he dedicated his career to improving. He co-founded the first Masters Program in Food Science and Technology in the country at the Universidad Iberoamericana. Later he collaborated extensively with the Food Engineering group at the Universidad de las Americas assisting their growth from a small group of students forming part of the chemical engineering department into a full fledge section with its own identity (Food Science and Technology) in the School of Engineering.

He worked with multinational corporations and governments throughout the world to improve world trade and food legislation. In 1966, Mexico appointed him to the Codex Alimentarius FAO/WHO Program on Food Standards, the group that establishes world standards for food products, where he later became chairman.

In 1962, while working at Laboratorios Gutfol, S.A., he founded and served as general manager of Fries & Fries International de Mexico S.A., and for the next 30 years, he served as founder, shareholder and partner of many food ingredient companies. In 1993, he was a co-founder of American Quality Laboratories (Mexico), S.A. de C.V. a company that services the food and ingredient industries and has been certified by the Mexican government to issue certain “quality for export certificates.” Earlier in his professional career, he had founded the Mexican section (ATAM) of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), where he served as councilor, chaired many committees and was recognized as a “fellow.” He was a generous supporter of the institute both financially and as a volunteer.