Planting Seeds of Innovation
by Mary Ellen Kuhn
IFT President-Elect Bob Gravani got the Annual Meeting & Food Expo® off to an inspirational
start in a speech on Saturday evening, July 17, calling to mind early food science and technology innovators like Louis Pasteur and Nicholas Appert, who “built the foundation that we rely upon.”
Today’s food scientists, said Gravani, who spoke during the Awards Celebration in McCormick Place South, “have a tremendous opportunity to create products that encompass more than extended shelf-life. We have the opportunity and responsibility to develop truly innovative products that not only taste good, but also promote health and wellness in children as well as adults.” The need for innovation is great in view of the U.S. obesity epidemic and the fact that “there are still parts of the world where food is either scarce, deficient in nutrients, or the cause of diarrheal foodborne illnesses,” Gravani said.
Not only do today’s professionals have a chance to develop innovative products, but they may also promote innovation by mentoring others and encouraging their creative expression. “Each of you in this room has the opportunity to pay it forward,” said Gravani, “to share your knowledge, skills, expertise, and wisdom, to recognize great potential in students and young colleagues and nurture it.
“Quite frankly,” Gravani continued, “the upcoming generations are tech-savvy individuals who perhaps could develop food-science solutions that far exceed the novel ideas of today.”
Gravani’s speech highlighted some of the key ideas featured in the new IFT white paper, “Feeding the World Today and Tomorrow: The Importance of Food Science and Technology.”
The white paper identifies challenges facing the food industry and recommends potential solutions for addressing them, including ways to focus pesticides only where they are needed and a new technology for recovering nitrogen and phosphorous from processing wastewater so it can be used as fertilizer.
The president-elect shared some of the highlights of IFT’s year, including the fact that Feeding Tomorrow, the Foundation of the Institute of Food Technologists, is marking its 25th anniversary. In its 25-year history, Feeding Tomorrow has raised more than $10 million for programs and services that increase the influence of food science and technology.
Another of this year’s highlights is the creation of the Gilbert A. Leveille Lectureship Award, which will recognize exceptional research in food technology and nutrition science and honors former IFT President Gil Leveille.
The President-Elect also shared encouraging news about the level of volunteer activity within the organization. More volunteers are actively engaged in IFT activities than ever before, he pointed out, noting that in the past year or so, more than 1,000 IFT members have participated in volunteer workgroups.
Gravani concluded his talk by thanking IFT members for their involvement and support. “Your membership and volunteerism ensure the strength and impact of this organization,” he said. “Our expertise makes us a formidable authority in food science and technology, and as our knowledge continues to grow, we will create a whole forest of ideas.
“Our mission is not complete,” Gravani emphasized. “Global access to safe, abundant, and nutritious food is not yet a reality for everyone. In our quest to achieve this goal, we need to embrace the past, act in the present, and have the vision and innovation to shape the future of food science and technology.”