The Indian Council of Agricultural Research initiated research project on Food Science & Post Harvest Technology of Perishable Fruits and Vegetables with PL480 funds in late 1970 in the Division of Fruits and Horticultural Technology, IARI, New Delhi. After the completion of project in early 1980, it was upgraded to AICRP on Post harvest Technology of Horticultural crops during VIth Five Year Plan at eight centres, (four each at ICAR and SAUs). The AICRP on Post Harvest Technology of Horticultural Crops was started in the year 1983 to develop the infrastructure facilities, research promotion and technology generation which can increase the shelf life and quality of fruits, vegetables and flowers for sufficient time to cater the need of the domestic as well as export market. During VIIth Five Year Plan the INDO-USAID sub-project on Post harvest Technology of Fruits and Vegetables was sanctioned by the ICAR with the idea of intensifying research efforts on Post Harvest Technology of seven commercially important fruits and vegetables viz. mango, banana, citrus, guava, potato, onion and tomato. The primary objective of the project was to reduce post harvest losses of fruits and vegetables during harvesting, farm handling, storage, marketing, transportation and processing. The actual implementation of this project started in October, 1985 and terminated on 3rd march 1991. It remained as a unit of Post Harvest Technology in the Division of Fruits and Horticulture Technology till it became an independent Division of IARI, in the year 2002.

The Division of Post Harvest Technology with a multidisciplinary approach was established on 5th February, 2002 in the IX Plan period. A separate teaching discipline leading to M.Sc. and Ph.D degrees was established in the academic year 2004-05.The Division was shifted from its original place of Division of Fruits and Horticulture Technology (Horticulture Building) to the third floor of Nuclear Research Laboratory (NRL) building on 1.7.2010. The name of the existing “Division of Post Harvest Technology” at IARI was renamed as “Division of Food Science and Post Harvest Technology” in November, 2013.