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Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle Joins Beacon Leacturers

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

IFT has announced that Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, Executive Director, European Food Safety Authority, will be the third Beacon Lecturer at this summer’s 2013 IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo. Scheduled to speak on July 14, 2013, from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m., Geslain-Lanéelle will be presenting on “Can Science Do More to Support Food Policy? The European Union Experience.”

Europe faced a series of food safety crises around the turn of this century related to, among other things, BSE, Salmonella, dioxin contamination, and the use of chemicals in the food chain. Faced with public disquiet over the safety of the food on citizens’ plates, the near collapse of the European beef trade, and a deteriorating political milieu, legislators took the momentous decision to separate science from politics and to elevate the role of science in the policy making process. The enactment of the General Food Law in 2002 marked a watershed moment in the history of European food safety and gave birth to the European Food Safety Authority, the European Union’s independent risk assessment body.

A decade later, Europe can reflect on the relative merits and demerits of this food safety governance model, which has aroused global interest and been emulated elsewhere. Many factors have changed in EFSA’s operating environment during that decade, not the least of which is the economic crisis, which threatens the livelihoods of many and forces regulatory authorities worldwide to reconsider their return on investment for citizens. Ironically, while the need for evidence-based policy is gaining widespread acceptance, public trust in the scientific process and in scientists themselves is coming under increasing pressure. In parallel, there is a growing demand for greater social involvement in the democratic process and civil society groups have emerged as significant players in food policy decisions. Meanwhile, science advances relentlessly and complex food technologies are emerging with the potential to revolutionize our food production processes, aided by the easier transfer of technology from academia to industry.

Against this backdrop, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle draws on her experience as Executive Director of EFSA since 2006, as a risk manager in the European Commission and in France, and as Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Committee on General Principles to chart European progress in establishing evidence-based food policy, and to identify the key future challenges facing the risk assessment community.

About Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle
Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle has been EFSA’s Executive Director since July 2006. Her renewed five-year mandate started on 1 July 2011. Throughout her career, Geslain-Lanéelle has held several positions of responsibility within the food sector. In 2000, she was appointed Director General of the Food Dept. within the French Agricultural Ministry at the height of the BSE crisis in France. In this post, she was responsible for managing health risks related to food, animal health and welfare, and plant protection as well as risk communications. Geslain-Lanéelle remained in this post until April 2003 when she became Regional Director of Agriculture and Forestry for the Ile de France region. She has held a number of international positions, notably as Chair of the Codex Alimentarius Committee on General Principles in 2001 and 2002, as well as Deputy Director of the French Dept. of International Trade from 1998 to 2000, managing French food aid. Here she worked closely with the European Commission and several other international organizations, working to promote the European agricultural model. She also worked at the European Commission from 1991 to 1993 as a National Expert at DG III (DG Industry and Internal Market) in the area of food safety. Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle has a Master of Science from the Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon and from the Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts.

About the Beacon Lecturers
The lectures made their debut in 2011 as a vehicle for adding new perspectives to the Annual Meeting with presentations by high-profile individuals capable of imparting cutting-edge, game-changing perspectives on food science and technology. The format for the lectures is a 30-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session.

Tags: Annual Meeting, beacon lectures, food policy, Top Story
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Keynote Speaker: CNN’s Fareed Zakaria

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

IFT has just announced that Fareed Zakaria will be the keynote speaker at this summer’s Annual Meeting and Food Expo. The host of CNN’s international affairs program—Fareed Zakaria GPS—Dr. Zakaria is also the Editor-at-Large of TIME, a Washington Post columnist, and best-selling author. In 2010, Foreign Policy named him one of the top 100 global thinkers.

Dr. Zakaria’s presentation comes at a critical time for food professionals who face extreme challenges in both developed and developing nations ranging from food waste, food safety, and food insecurity to new nutritional demands and limitations on natural resources.

About Fareed Zakaria
Since 2008, he has hosted Fareed Zakaria GPS, which airs Sundays worldwide on CNN. Dr. Zakaria’s in-depth interviews with the Dalai Lama, heads of state including Barack Obama, Manmohan Singh, King Abdullah II, Dmitry Medvedev, Moammar Gadhafi, and Lula da Silva, as well as countless intellectuals, business leaders, politicians, and journalists have been broadcast in more than 200 million homes in over 210 countries. Within its first year, GPS garnered an Emmy nomination for an interview with Premier Wen Jaibao.

Dr. Zakaria was introduced as TIME Editor at Large in October 2010 after spending 10 years overseeing all of Newsweek’s editions abroad. His cover stories and columns—on subjects from globalization and emerging markets to the Middle East and America’s role in the world—reach more than 25 million readers weekly. While his columns have received many awards including a 2010 National Magazine Award, his October 2001 Newsweek cover story, “Why They Hate Us,” remains the most decorated. Before joining Newsweek in October 2000, he spent eight years as managing editor of Foreign Affairs, a post he was appointed to at only 28 years old.

The Post-American World, which is Dr. Zakaria’s most recent book, was heralded in the New York Times book review as “…a relentlessly intelligent book” and The Economist called it “…a powerful guide” to facing global challenges. Like The Post-American World, his previous book, The Future of Freedom, was a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into over 20 languages.

Born in India on January 20, 1964, Dr. Zakaria went on to receive a B.A. from Yale College and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He has received honorary degrees from numerous universities including Brown, the University of Miami, and Oberlin College. He lives in New York City with his wife, son, and two daughters.

Tags: Annual Meeting, keynote, Top Story
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Mark Manary to Address Food Aid in Africa

Monday, April 15th, 2013

IFT has announced that Mark J. Manary, M.D., Helene B. Roberson Professor of Pediatrics, and Director, Global Harvest Alliance, will be the second Beacon Lecturer at this summer’s 2013 IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo. Manary will be speaking in conjunction with the IFTSA Closing Ceremony on July 15, 2013, from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. on the topic of “The Future of Food Aid: From the Miracle of RUTF in Malawi to Appropriately Designed Food Aid in the 21st Century.”

Food aid has classically been surplus commodities donated to circumstances in which food shortages exist. In the past, donors of food aid have given little consideration to the appropriateness of nutritional content, food safety, and stability of foodstuffs. The advent of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for severe childhood malnutrition 12 years ago demonstrated the clinical benefits that can be accrued when nutrition, safety, and stability are key criteria for appropriate food aid. RUTF has an extremely low water activity, preventing the replication of microbes therein. With the addition of proper emulsifiers, oil separation and subsequent oxidation of fat-soluble nutrients have been reduced in RUTF. Cooking of the RUTF ingredients prior to their mixing has allowed RUTF to be consumed directly from the package, offering children the chance to space their dietary intake out over the course of many hours, thereby consuming more food and recovering more quickly. RUTF has made home-based therapy possible, allowing children to receive treatment earlier in the course of their malnutrition. Dramatic increases in recovery rates, from 45% to 85%, have been routinely seen, as well as huge reductions in the opportunity cost to participants. RUTF has allowed for increases in program coverage from 10% to 60%, allowing for 10 times as many children to receive this life-saving therapy. All of these lessons need to be applied to food aid that is used for moderate malnutrition, prevention of malnutrition, and food aid directed at other target groups, such as pregnant women and HIV-infected individuals. Application of basic principles of food science will move food aid into the modern age, the 21st century, where the recipient is given foremost consideration and benefit.

About Manary
Mark J. Manary, M.D., is the Helene B. Roberson Professor of Pediatrics at Wash. Univ. and Director of the Global Harvest Alliance, a joint venture between St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Wash. Univ., and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. He has made it his professional goal to fix malnutrition for kids in Africa. To this end, he has developed ready-to-use therapeutic food and used it in home-based therapy. Manary performed the first clinical trial with this food in 2001. He is currently formulating and evaluating new foods designed to augment the therapy of HIV in Africa, and treat moderate childhood malnutrition. Manary also recognizes the importance of work to prevent childhood malnutrition, and to that end he is exploring the use of lipid nutrient supplements as complementary foods for children aged 6 to 24 months in Malawi. Because he believes the ultimate solution for malnutrition is improved agriculture, he is an investigator on BioCassava Plus, a Gates Foundation project to develop genetically improved cassava that is enriched with iron, protein, beta-carotene, and zinc. Manary runs a plant genetics lab at the Danforth Plant Science Center, where he investigates nutrient-enhanced peanuts. He continues to explore the basic pathophysiology and metabolism of malnutrition, and he is currently looking at the gut microbiota and metabolome in kwashiorkor and marasmus, as well as zinc homeostasis. Manary loves engaging students in his work, and says they can be inspired to embrace global health issues and bring fresh perspectives to long-standing problems.

Tags: Annual Meeting, beacon lecturer, food aid, Top Story
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David Robson Named as Beacon Lecturer

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

IFT has announced that David W. Robson, Head of Energy and Environmental Foresight, Scottish Government, UK, will be one of the Beacon Lecturers at this summer’s 2013 IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo. Scheduled to speak on July 15, 2013, from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m., Robson will be presenting on “Food, Water, Energy Nexus: Surprise Is Inevitable, Being Unprepared Is Not.”

Demand for resources will escalate over the next 20 years as the world’s population approaches 8 billion, with the population of more than 50 countries increasing by over one-third. A total of 261 river basins are shared by more than one country, 175 million Indians consume grain produced from water supplies that are not being replenished, and energy demand is likely to increase by 35%, with non-OECD countries accounting for 93% of that growth. Before 2004, about half of the disputes between nations involved resource issues; since then, all of them have. The global energy-water-food nexus is reshaping international affairs as countries large and small attempt to assert their national interests on the global stage. In the meantime, it is hard to overestimate the growing impact of emerging economies on global resources. Looking ahead, these countries will increasingly shape the future picture of energy and food demand; resource supply; CO2 emissions; technology standards; and the prospects for global trade, security, and the environment.

Robson will make the case that this is a future that demands our immediate attention. Policy and investment decisions are being made now that will determine our room for maneuver over the next 20 years. We will have to juggle a competing and conflicting set of international resource security issues, economic shocks, and justice concerns that yield a tangle of difficult-to-manage domestic consequences. How can we best support decision-makers in making the best strategic choices for an uncertain world, dominated by a complex web of food-water-energy issues? Advice is made all the more difficult when evidence of the future is proving rather hard to come by.

About Robson
Robson heads Scottish Government’s energy and environmental foresight capability, leading work across government to better anticipate strategic threats and opportunities. He started his career as a designer working in industry before moving to the Design Council to lead multidisciplinary design projects with commercial clients. He was later appointed CEO of Scottish Design Ltd., consulting with companies on design and product development. After moving to the international division of Scottish Enterprise to manage secondary foreign direct investment (Scotland’s primary Economic Development Agency), he was appointed Director of Innovation Development in the same organisation to lead a “do-tank” researching and developing innovation policy. Latterly, Robson became Director of Policy and Practice for Industries Division of Scottish Enterprise.

David started working for Scottish Government by serving as an associate deputy director assisting the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy and Environmental Security Directorate. As part of his current government work, he leads an international government security community (under the Global Futures Forum) working on a range of issues that contribute to Human and Natural Resource Security—such as energy, environmental degradation, water and food security, global health, climate change, and bio-diversity.

Tags: Annual Meeting, resources, Top Story, water
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IFT’s Nanoscience Conference Returns

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013

The IFT International Food Nanoscience Conference is back and better than ever. It will be held July 12–13 at the Hilton Chicago, in Chicago, Ill., just prior to the Annual Meeting & Food Expo. Join expert speakers from around the world and gain the latest insights into topics such as:

Current and emerging nanoscience applications for sustainability, nutrition, flavors, food processing and engineering, and other areas

Evaluating the safety of nanomaterials

Non-U.S. perspectives on nanotechnology

Consumer perceptions and education

New to Nanoscience?
Join us on July 12 for a primer workshop designed to help build or refresh your foundational understanding of nanoscience. Find out more information.

Registration is now open!

Tags: Annual Meeting, Education, nanoscience, nanotechnology, Top Story
Posted in Events, Technologies | 2 Comments »

Registration Now Open for IFT’s 2013 Annual Meeting & Food Expo

Wednesday, March 6th, 2013

You can now register for 2013 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo, taking place July 13–16 in Chicago, Ill. Join thousands of your colleagues from around the world to learn about the newest trends, products, ingredients, processing technologies, and more, and their potential impact on your business. At the 2013 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo, you’ll also find nearly unlimited opportunities to connect with other food professionals — experts from industry, academia, and government who are involved in both the science and the business of food.

Save up to $150 when you register by May 31, 2012. Register today.

Not an IFT member?
Join now and save up to $220 off the cost of Annual Meeting & Food Expo Registration! IFT Member dues plus the member registration fee cost less than non-member registration rates alone! Join today and you’ll receive your IFT Membership number instantly.

Tags: Annual Meeting, attend, Food Expo, register, Top Story
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IFTSA Student Competition Winners

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

Congratulations to all the IFT Student Association 2012 Competition Winners!

And thanks to all the finalist teams that participated.

Product Development Competition, sponsored by Mars:

• 1st place: Cornell University — Dough TEMPtations
• 2nd place: Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison — Cranberry POPlers
• 3rd place: Ohio State Univ. — UnBeetable Burger

Developing Solutions for Developing Countries Competition:

• Domestic:
• 1st Place: Washington State Univ. & Univ. of Idaho — Mango Maandazi

• International:
• 1st Place: Universiti Putra Malaysia — Vit-A-Go

Nutritious Food for Kids, sponsored by Disney Consumer Products:

• Grand prize—University of Wisconsin-Madison — Peanut Butter Jamsicles
• First place—University of Wisconsin-Madison — Pitstop

Chapter of the Year:

• Chapter of the Year—University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Most Improved Chapter—University of California-Davis

Undergraduate Research Paper Competition:

• First place—Margaret Debrauske (Univ. of Wisconsin)
• Second—Brittany Miller (Cornell Univ.)
• Third—Graysen Ortega (Texas Tech Univ.)

College Bowl winner: Brigham Young

Thanks again to all of our Sponsors!

Tags: Annual Meeting, competition, IFTSA, Top Story
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Healthy Beginnings Lead to Healthy Lives

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

From the time humans are born, everything they put in their mouths ultimately affects the body’s immunological response and how they metabolize food. During the Beacon Lecture on Wednesday, June 27, Jose Saavedra, Nestlé Nutrition and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said that among the biggest problems the world’s population faces today are chronic non-communicable diseases associated with obesity and a poor immune system. These diseases include allergies, celiac disease, irritable bowel disease, and diabetes. Saavedra said that a healthy diet combined with healthy intestinal microbiota is the combination necessary to lead a healthy life. Abnormal or poor microbiota in the gut are associated with acute and chronic diseases.

The foundation for a healthy gut does not automatically occur. Children delivered by cesarean birth have an increased chance of having a non-communicable chronic disease because they do not come in contact with the inoculative bacteria in the vagina and gastrointestinal tract. Cesarean births are sterile; vaginal births are not. This is why doctors encourage vaginal births as well as breast feeding. Both give infants their first exposure to microbes that are integral in the development of a healthy immune system.

The introduction of common food antigens (gluten, nuts, dairy products, etc.) must be timed properly as well. Introducing antigens too soon in life is counterproductive as is introducing them too late. Nevertheless, it is important to feed healthy foods to children as early as possible, Saavedra said. If healthy dietary preferences are not established early in life, most people never acquire them. Poor dietary choices begun at an early age tend to continue throughout one’s lifetime. “It is much easier to prevent poor behavioral tendencies [such as eating a poor diet] than to change it,” Saavedra said.

Ideally, a child’s initiation to healthy foods should begin in the womb. The infants of women who consume a healthy diet before and during pregnancy, give birth vaginally, and breast feed have healthy gut microbiota and a greatly reduced chance of developing any of the non-communicable chronic diseases, Saavedra said.

Tags: Annual Meeting, beacon lectures, Diet, genes, health, Microbes, Top Story
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Fun Run is a Sure Bet for Attendees

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

Las Vegas never sleeps … well, the 600+ registrants who got up first thing Wednesday morning, June 27, for the 12^th Annual Fun Run and Walk may not have gotten much sleep, but it was for a good cause. And even Elvis showed up to support the effort (look for him in the video below). In total, sponsorships garnered over $81,000, once again a record high for Feeding Tomorrow scholarships. More than 15 student and corporate teams were among the participants. As in previous years, Bruce Ferree, California Natural Products, again raised the most money for a single person. Just for participating, all runners received a race t-shirt.

The race got off to a great start at 6:15 a.m. and at the end of the 3.1 miles it was clear that many were taking the “fun” run very seriously. The top three men and women runners were as follows:

Men

• David Peters, with a time of 16:22
• Christopher Charles, with a time of 17:11
• Steve Kollars, with a time of 18:45

Women

• Trella Chrisco, with a time of 22:05
• Sara Spoede, with a time of 22:06
• Amanda Charbonneau, with a time of 22:08

The list of top runners for each category is here. The list of times for all runners can be found here.

The IFTSA and Feeding Tomorrow gratefully acknowledge the Fun Run event sponsors:

Platinum: Chicago Section IFT, D.D. Williamson, Glanbia Nutritionals, Ingredion, Michael Foods Inc., PepsiCo, Southern California Section IFT

Gold: David Michael & Co., GEA, GNT, Horn Co., Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods, MET-Rx

Tags: Annual Meeting, competition, IFTSA, Top Story, winners
Posted in Awards & Competitions | 1 Comment »

PepsiCo’s Khan Challenges Conventional R&D Wisdom

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

At the Beacon Lecture on Tuesday afternoon, Mehmood Khan, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, Global Nutrition Group, and Chief Scientific Officer of PepsiCo, discussed the global food landscape from food policies, obesity, and food production to waste, water usage, and population growth, and how the food industry and food science can solve present and future challenges.

“The food industry has saved more lives and helped humanity more than any other profession,” said Khan. But it is also under attack from several groups for things like water usage, pesticides, additives, and obesity, he noted. Food policies following World War II, when many young men joining the armed services were undernourished and underweight, encouraged the production of safe, affordable, and convenient food. “We did what society and the government wanted us to do,” stated Khan.

Today we have an imbalance in our food system with 1 billion hungry people and 1 billion overweight people on our planet, noted Kahn. “We added 1 billion people in the past 10 years and our population will rise from 7 billion to 9 and a half billion by 2050. We will have to increase our food production by 50% to meet the demand. Otherwise, mass starvation will lead to mass conflict between village to village, state to state, city to city, and country to country,” declared Khan.

Americans eat about 2.5 servings of fruits and vegetables today and the government recommends that we eat 4–5 servings, reported Khan. “We would have to increase our fruit and vegetable production equivalent to what the State of California produces today in order for Americans to eat the recommended amounts.”

In Africa, Asia, and India, about 40% of the food is lost through spoilage or the inability to preserve and transport it. In North America and Europe, about 40% of the food is thrown away. “If we could save half of the food that is thrown away, we could feed 1 billion more people without any more resources, such as land or water,” declared Khan.

Solving these problems will require a different way of thinking, stated Khan. For example, Khan located his engineering center in Delhi, India, so that they could gain a new perspective on these and other food issues. For example, in large cities in developing countries, the road infrastructure is poor and PepsiCo delivery trucks spend a large amount of time sitting idle in traffic jams, wasting fuel and energy. And this will only get worse. By 2050, 70% of the global population will live in cities. There will be 50 megacities of populations of 20 million or more and 49 of those cities will be in developing countries, noted Khan.

Khan referred to the traditional practice of bringing foreign scientists to the United States to learn about our way of doing things as “historical arrogance.” Young scientists in the U.S. need to go overseas to learn and understand the culture and problems and the resources available to overcome these challenges,” declared Khan. He pointed to an example of a six-minute Pepsi marketing video that was produced inexpensively in Shanghai that was seen by 750 million people in its first 100 days. “If it were produced here, it would have cost us a couple more zeros following the 750 number,” joked Khan.

Tags: Annual Meeting, nutrition, product development, sustainability, Top Story
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Career Fair Proves Successful for Students, Companies

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012

With 30 companies in attendance at this year’s IFT Career Fair, held Tuesday, June 26, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Las Vegas Convention Center, it’s no wonder the aisles were crowded with graduates and students seeking internships and full-time positions. One of those job seekers was Christopher Gendron, who graduated in December from Univ. of Maine with a master’s degree in food science and human nutrition. In addition to presenting his poster at this year’s Annual Meeting, his goal was to explore full-time opportunities in sensory science and product development. However, Christopher hasn’t always had food science on the brain. He found his way to the field after working in a pharmacy and learning about pharmaceuticals, which led him to food science.

In fact, it seems many food scientists come into the field after learning about it through a related field. Graduate student Rebecca Lipasek was on the crew team as an undergraduate at Purdue Univ. and has always been interested health and nutrition as it relates fitness. She also loves and excels in chemistry and found that the field of food science would be the perfect pairing of both of her interests. Although Rebecca doesn’t graduate until December, she was at the Career Fair looking to line up a full-time job in research and development.

While the companies present at the Fair were seeking candidates for open positions they currently have, Mars Chocolate was also looking to the future. “We are here to be proactive and fill current openings, but we are also looking to build a pipeline of jobs,” said Nicolas Miele, Senior Manager in Talent Acquisition at Mars Chocolate North America. This is especially important given the expansion the company is planning in process development and sensory over the next six to 12 months. Mars, a Career Fair regular over the years, sees these events as an important step in building that pipeline. In fact, only an hour into the Fair, the company had already secured 13 one-on-one interviews with potential candidates.

Another company in attendance that proved the Career Fair is a vital tool for its recruitment is Kellogg’s. The company hired seven people they interviewed at last year’s Career Fair and three of them were present at this year’s event to conduct interviews. Patrick Williams, product developer for Kellogg’s global snacks business, remembers meeting with the company for the first time at the Fair in 2011. As a recent Ph.D. graduate from the Univ. of Maryland, Williams was looking for a chance to grow with a company and do a multitude of things. “I have a passion for food and wanted to see it go from the lab all the way through to the store shelf,” said Williams. After getting hired in August 2011, Williams made the move from Maryland to Battle Creek, Mich., and says he finds the job fulfilling. “Every day is different for me. I could be in the lab, in the pilot plant, or meeting with the marketing team,” said Williams. “And I get to make Cheez-Its!”

And now Williams finds himself on the opposite side of the table, hoping to find the next employee to add to Kellogg’s talent pool, and there are certainly plenty of worthy candidates vying for his—and the other companies’—attention. Who knows … maybe some will find themselves in Williams’ position at the 2013 IFT Career Fair.

Tags: Annual Meeting, students, Top Story
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Starbucks’ Schultz Urges Business Authenticity, Transparency, and Humanity

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012

Despite the economic challenges facing the nation—and the world—business operators can prevail by staying authentic and transparent and managing their companies through a “lens of humanity,” said IFT Keynote Speaker Howard Schultz, Starbucks president, chairman & chief executive officer. Speaking to an attentive crowd at Tuesday morning’s Keynote Session in the convention center, Schultz reflected on the essential principles that have guided the company he took public 20 years ago.

After leaving the role of Stabucks ceo more than a decade ago, Schultz returned to lead the company in 2008 at a time when the nation was in the midst of a financial crisis and Starbucks was in danger of losing $25 million in market capitalization. For the first time in its history, Starbucks had negative comp store sales, and the company was confronted with an economic climate in which consumers were cutting back on discretionary spending. “We were facing a situation in which, literally, we were on a collision course with financial failure,” Schultz said.

Returning to lead his company, Schultz was committed to operating transparently and keeping employees fully informed. “I believe that at a time like that you have to be 100% honest and transparent,” said Schultz. “You can’t ask people to follow and believe in you without 100% honesty and transparency.”

Recognizing the value of your employees is essential, said Schultz. While everyone says that their employees are their most important resource, Schultz said that he truly believes it. “What has been the key to our success, without question, has been valuing our people. I don’t believe that you can build a great organization of any kind without having people aligned in their vision,” he added.

The Starbucks ceo, who grew up in a lower middle-income family, believes that being successful requires staying firmly committed to your dreams. “The worst thing that can happen is that you give up on the things you believe in and settle for mediocrity,” he said.

The vision Schultz had when Starbucks went public two decades ago was to “create a national company around a different business philosophy—to create a company that would balance profitability and a social conscience,” Schultz said.

Schultz devoted part of his Keynote presentation to discussing the commitment he feels to encouraging entrepreneurial innovation even at a time when national political leaders have become gridlocked over solving the nation’s economic challenges. To support entrepreneurialism in the United States, Starbucks launched the Create Jobs for USA initiative, which helps provide loans to deserving small businesses.

“Your businesses and your respective careers cannot and will not be isolated from what is going on in our country,” said Schultz. “I can speak to that, having grown up in the projects in a blue collar family. I ask a question: Are those kids that are growing up on the other side of the tracks like I did, are they going to have the same opportunities?

“We in America are facing a crucible, a test,” Schultz continued. “We as Americans cannot continue to ignore the elements that are challenging and threatening the aspirations, the dreams, and the values that have made this country great.’

Above all, Schultz emphasized the importance of dreaming big—and sticking to those dreams. “The true greatness of America is not about policies, it’s not about ideology, it’s about people and giving them hope and opportunities to believe in the American dream. Our parents, our grandparents, gave us this foundation. It’s up to us. It’s up to you to preserve it and enhance it.”

Tags: Annual Meeting, consumer trends, Top Story
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Innovations Solve Real-World Problems

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012

At Tuesday morning’s keynote session, IFT President-Elect John Ruff and incoming President-Elect Janet Collins announced and presented four companies with the 2012 IFT Food Expo Innovation Awards. The winners are Advantix Systems, Ampac, Ecolab, and Glanbia Nutritionals.

“The Food Expo Innovation Awards are a showcase for amazing advancements made in our profession,” said Collins.

A panel of nine jurors from industry, academia, and government with broad expertise in research & product development, processing & packaging technology, and food safety selected the four companies and their innovations from 44 qualified entries. Only companies exhibiting at the 2012 IFT Food Expo in Las Vegas were eligible. Judging criteria included degree of innovation, technical advancement, benefits to food manufacturers and consumers, and scientific merit.

Advantix Systems (booth 3956) garnered the 2012 IFT Food Expo Innovation Award for its liquid desiccant dehumidification and cooling technology, which reduces energy use by 50%. The technology uses liquid desiccant, which is a natural salt solution that absorbs moisture directly from the air. By utilizing the solution’s natural affinity for moisture, air can be dehumidified without needing to overcool or post-cool the air as required by conventional approaches. The desiccant is also a natural disinfectant, removing almost all airborne bacteria and microorganisms in a single pass.

Ampac (booth 2980) won the award for its No. 2 pouch. The recyclable packaging is made from a coextruded film blend of predominantly high-density polyethylene (HDPE) that yields a pouch with excellent stiffness and strength characteristics as well as high barrier to moisture and excellent puncture resistance. It is designed to be compatible with existing post-consumer recycled waste streams, such as retail plastic grocery sacks. The stand-up pouch also saves energy to produce, since it does not require a separate laminating step.

Ecolab (booth 2129) was honored for its RAC residual antimicrobial coatings program, which consists of EPA-registered products that enhance food safety by providing improved microorganism control of plant non-food contact environmental surfaces. The products are ready-to-use and can be applied with spray, roller, or brush to provide residual sanitizing activity on environmental surfaces. Proper application of the products can reduce 99.9% or 3 log reduction of pathogens, such as E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enteric, and Staphylococcus aureus.

Glanbia Nutritionals (booth 1241) captured the 2012 IFT Food Expo Innovation Award for its Optisol 2000 binding system for sugar reduction. The binding system is a milk protein concentrate that can reduce sugar usage up to 50% in many food applications, such as baked and chewy type granola bars, cereal clusters, and other snack products. In reduced-sugar applications, OptiSol 2000 functions to bind water and maintain a sticky matrix in food products. The clean-label ingredient contributes protein to the formulation and enables the addition of other desirable nutrients such as fiber.

Tags: awards, Food Expo, product development, Top Story, winners
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Ruff to Food Scientists: Help Solve Global Hunger Issues

Monday, June 25th, 2012

IFT President-Elect John Ruff issued a passionate challenge to food scientists: Use your skills and expertise to help solve the pressing problem of food insecurity. By 2050, the world’s population will reach nine billion, and scientific innovation is the key to ensuring a safe and abundant food supply for all, said Ruff in a speech delivered Monday evening during the annual Awards Celebration held in the convention center.

“Around the world, more than 15% of the population—or up to a billion people—are chronically undernourished. One-third of the children in developing countries are affected by malnutrition. Hunger in a world of plenty is not only shameful, but also economically costly,” said Ruff.

The problem of food insecurity isn’t limited to foreign shores. “Here in the U.S.A., 5% of the population doesn’t get enough food to eat,” said Ruff. “Hunger compromises the productivity of individuals, and in some cases, whole economies. Science and technology can provide the solutions we need to feed a growing population in a sustainable way, but we must invest in research and education,” said Ruff.

“To meet the food demand of the future, scientific and technological advancements must be accelerated and applied in both the developed and developing world,” said Ruff. “We have to find ways to reduce the 30% of the world’s food that is eaten by pests, spoiled on the way to market, or thrown away unused.”

He pointed out that up to half of the food grown and harvested in developing countries never gets consumed. “That’s due in part to poor handling, processing, packaging, and distribution,” said Ruff. “We’ll need to develop packaging and shipping methods close to food production sites in less developed areas to stop the waste.”

“We have to grow more food and manufacture it in a more efficient manner, using less water and energy, reducing waste, and producing foods that last longer,” Ruff continued. “We will need more protein, provided in a sustainable way. We’ll need to increase the nutritional value of food. We must make food accessible and affordable for all people, and we must meet these needs in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way.”

Ruff is optimistic about the opportunities available through science and technology. “The mapping of the human genome will allow for an era of personalized nutrition—diets can be individualized. Agricultural biotechnology will offer more efficient and cost-effective ways to produce products. Biotechnology and nanotechnology have the potential to increase food production, improve food quality and nutrition, reduce the need for chemicals, and lower the cost of production in an environmentally sustainable way.”

“All of us—scientists, educators, farmers, regulators, manufacturers, distributors, and consumers—we’re all in this together,” said Ruff. “Feeding the world is everybody’s business. Accelerating scientific innovation is necessary to feed the world, and it is critical to success in the food profession.

“The world may be getting smaller,” Ruff summarized, “but it’s also getting more crowded, and it will take the next generation of food scientists to figure how to feed the world of the future.”

Tags: Annual Meeting, awards, sessions, Top Story
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Casimir Akoh Receives Appert Award

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

Casimir C. Akoh, Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Food Science & Technology, University of Georgia, was honored as the recipient of the 2012 Nicholas Appert Award on Monday, June 25, at the Awards Celebration. Roger Clemens, IFT President, presented Akoh with the award, which is IFT’s highest honor and is given annually to an IFT member for preeminence in and contributions to the field of food science and technology. The award includes a $5,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT.

Akoh is recognized for his innovative contributions to research in fats and oils, especially his research on the enzymatic modification of lipids to produce functional and healthful structured lipids and improvement of frying oil life and quality. He is one of the first researchers to publish articles on the enzymatic modification of lipids to produce trans-free fats, and industry has used the enzymatic technology to commercialize the production of diacylglycerol oil. Akoh is also a research leader in the area of enzymatic production of infant formula fat analogs. He continues to collaborate with others in academia, industry, and government from the United States and around the world.

2012 IFT Achievement Awards
In addition to presenting Akoh with the Nicholas Appert Award, IFT recognized 15 other achievements on at the Awards Celebration.

Babcock-Hart Award: Richard Black
$3,000 honorarium from the International Life Sciences Institute North America and a plaque from IFT

Richard Black, Vice President/Chief Nutrition Officer, Kraft Foods Global, received the 2012 Babcock-Hart Award for his leadership and efforts in addressing the public’s health and wellness concerns, including the public health challenge of rising obesity rates.

In his role at Kraft, Black has led corporate-wide nutrition programs by developing strategies, guidelines, and portfolio improvement opportunities as well as providing overall accountability for nutrition research, nutrition communications, and nutrition business applications. He is a member of Kraft’s internal Worldwide Health and Wellness Committee, and leads the Worldwide Health and Wellness Advisory Council by engaging independent experts in key health and wellness disciplines. Additionally, he has played a key role in helping Kraft enhance the nutrition profile of its product portfolios, substantiate the company’s “Sensible Solution” labeling program in the United States, and improve nutritional labels to make it easier for consumers to choose the portion size of the foods they eat.

Research and Development Award: Vijay K. Juneja
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Vijay K. Juneja, Lead Scientist, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service-Eastern Regional Research Center, received the 2012 Research and Development Award for his research on pathogenic bacteria to ensure a safe food supply

A leading authority on food safety research, Juneja has made significant contributions to multiple areas within the broad discipline of food safety microbiology, including a series of groundbreaking publications on microbiological safety of minimally processed foods and predictive microbiology. Specifically, his research focuses on interventions to reduce/eliminate pathogens in foods of animal origin, assessing and minimizing risks from emerging technologies, and developing strategies for performing risk assessment on cooked foods.

Carl R. Fellers Award: Mary K. Schmidl
$3,000 honorarium from Phi Tau Sigma Honorary Society and a plaque from IFT

Mary K. Schmidl, Principal, National Food & Nutrition Consultants and Assistant Adjunct Professor, University of Minnesota, has received the 2012 Carl R. Fellers Award for her service to the field of food science and technology and for bringing honor to the profession.

For 40 years, Schmidl has had a distinguished career as a scientist, research director, educator, and leader to public and private agencies both domestically and internationally. One of her major contributions is her ability to effectively communicate on issues related to food science, technology, and public health not only to food scientists but to the entire scientific community as well as to governments, international agencies, students, and consumers. She has played an active role in the International Union of Food Science and Technology and serves on the European Union’s Advisory Board on Risk Communication. Schmidl was the President of IFT (2000–2001); chaired IFT Nutrition Division and Minnesota Section; and was a leader/member of more than 25 IFT committees. During her term as IFT President, she worked with the IFT Committee for Global Interests to develop a relationship with food science professionals and food industry officials in China. Her vision, commitment, and diplomacy contributed to the current relationship that IFT has with the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology.

Bor S. Luh International Award: Richard F. Stier
$3,000 honorarium from the Bor S. Luh Endowment Fund of Feeding Tomorrow and a plaque from IFT

Richard F. Stier, Food Scientist Consultant, received the 2012 Bor S. Luh Award for his international contributions in food science focusing on food safety, quality, and sanitation.

Stier has worked in more than 35 countries as a member of industry and a consultant in the area of technology transfer. He has helped processors upgrade operations and has taught or developed educational programs. His work has ranged from the evaluation and validation of technologies for transfer throughout the world (aseptic processing systems in the early 1980s) to his ongoing work of enhancing food safety and quality in developing nations. During a two-year project in Egypt, Stier utilized IFT’s Continuing Education Group as a resource for enhancing programs organized there and brought many Egyptians into the IFT fold. Stier’s most recent international project took him to Afghanistan to work on the Afghan Small to Medium Enterprise Development project, part of which focused on training a group of Afghani men and women to become food plant auditors and consultants to the local food industry.

Samuel Cate Prescott Award: Qixin Zhong
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Qixin Zhong, Associate Professor of Food Biophysics and Nanotechnology, Dept. of Food Science, University of Tennessee, received the 2012 Samuel Cate Prescott Award for outstanding work in food science research.

Zhong’s research is focused on the application of biophysics and nanotechnology for developing solutions for the food industry. His overall research goal is to discover physically inspired materials and processes for improved food safety, quality, and healthfulness through the creation of nanoscale materials and the understanding of material properties at the nanoscale. His specific research projects focus on delivery systems for bioactive food components, functional nanomaterials, and interfacial engineering. Additionally, Zhong has contributed to the establishment and growth of the university’s Food Biopolymers Research Group, which centers on food biophysics and nanotechnology as they are related to food biopolymers.

Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award: Tate & Lyle
A plaque from IFT

Tate & Lyle received the 2012 Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award for its Promitor™ soluble corn fiber to help manufacturers incorporate fiber into everyday food and beverage applications.

The ingredient can replace traditional sweeteners such as liquid and dry corn sweeteners, sucrose, and other sugar alcohols, and its clarity, low viscosity, and process stability allows for its use in clear beverages, sauces, and dressings. In addition to these applications, the ingredient can replace corn syrup in others like yogurt, jams, soups, energy bars, cereals and cereal coatings, confections, and bakery. Promitor is acid stable and is said not to break down in products with a low pH. And because it is a fiber (more specifically, a prebiotic), manufacturers can make a “good” or “excellent” source of fiber claim.

William V. Cruess Award: Nicki Engeseth
$3,000 honorarium from IFT and a bronze medal from the Northern California Section of IFT

Nicki Engeseth, Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana, received the 2012 William V. Cruess Award for excellence in teaching food science and technology.

Engeseth is being honored for her effectiveness in the classroom, leading curriculum development in her department, and valuable contributions to teaching and learning at multiple levels and venues. Over the years, Engeseth has taught various food chemistry courses to undergraduate and graduate students as well as to food industry professionals in the university’s off-campus M.S. food science program. A mentor for many students, she has also created opportunities for students through projects that integrate teaching and research. She has received multiple awards for teaching from the university and its food science and human nutrition department and from national organizations.

Sensory and Consumer Sciences Achievement Award: Harry T. Lawless
$3,000 honorarium from the Sensory and Consumer Sciences Division Fund of Feeding Tomorrow and a plaque from IFT

Harry T. Lawless, Emeritus Professor, Cornell University, received the 2012 Sensory and Consumer Sciences Achievement Award for excellence within the sensory and consumer sciences field.

Lawless has made numerous contributions to the understanding of sensory science over a highly distinguished career. He has authored or edited more than 100 articles and technical reports on sensory science, ranging from applied methodological questions to basic work in chemosensory psychophysics, and he currently co-edits Journal of Sensory Studies. His contributions throughout his career include coining the phrase “tip of the nose” phenomenon and demonstrating that it is functionally distinct from its paronym; finding that the mutual mixture suppression of bitterness and sweetness was a central not peripheral phenomenon; and researching sweetener psychophysics, astringency perception, bitter receptor genes, and metallic “taste.”

Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service Award: A. Elizabeth Sloan
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

A. Elizabeth Sloan, President, Sloan Trends, Inc. received the 2012 Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service Award for meritorious and imaginative service to IFT.

From her research work for and participation in Food Technology magazine’s General Session at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo, researching and writing the magazine’s State of the Industry Reports, serving as a chairman of IFT’s Nutrition and Student Divisions, Sloan has provided exemplary service to IFT since 1973 when she joined as a student member. She has been a contributing editor for Food Technology magazine since the early 1990s. In addition to her writing contributions, Sloan has served on the planning committee for the annual IFT Wellness Conference.

Bernard L. Oser Food Ingredient Safety Award: James Griffiths
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from the Bernard L. Oser Endowment Fund of the IFT Foundation

James Griffiths, Vice President, Food, Dietary Supplement and Traditional Medicine Standards, United States Pharmacopoeia, has received the 2012 Bernard L. Oser Food Ingredient Safety Award for his contributions to the scientific knowledge of food ingredient safety and leadership in establishing principles for food ingredient safety evaluation or regulations.

Griffiths is board certified in toxicology and a fellow of the Society of Biology. Currently he is Chair of the IFT Toxicology and Safety Evaluation Division and Chair of the Society of Toxicology Food Safety Specialty Section (FS3). His contributions to food safety research have added to the understanding of functional food safety, adulteration or deliberate contamination of food ingredients, and the toxicity of several food ingredients, additives, and contaminants including D-ribose, spirulina, polydextrose, high-selenium yeast, solvents, and arsenic. His research about and writing on quality standards and the deliberate contamination of food ingredients are particularly important in the post-9/11 world as governments face the challenges of potential food terrorism.

Gilbert A. Leveille Award and Lectureship: Jonathan C. Allen
$3,000 and a plaque

Jonathan C. Allen, received the 2012 Gilbert A. Leveille Award for outstanding research and/or public service at the interface between the disciplines of nutrition and food science, over a period of five years or more, which has contributed to improved health and well-being.

Allen is a professor in the Dept. of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, and Director in Graduate Programs for Food Science and the Interdepartmental Nutrition Program. Allen’s research is varied and uses human, animal, and in vitro model systems to test the nutritional quality and bioavailability of nutrients. His recent research on the utilization of whey permeate as a salt replacer and the extraction of edible and bioactive protein from sweet potato peel show how food industry by-products can improve the nutritional value of foods. Through his teaching, administration, and program development activities, Allen has contributed to the understanding and potential amelioration of such chronic diseases as infant growth retardation, metabolic bone disease, diabetes, and hypertension.

Stephen S. Chang Award for Lipid or Flavor Science: Michael Eskin
$3,000 honorarium and a Steuben crystal sculpture from the Stephen S. Chang Endowment Trust Fund supported by the Taiwan Food Industries

Michael Eskin, Professor and Associate Dean, University of Manitoba, has received the 2012 Stephen S. Chang Award for Lipid or Flavor Science for significant contributions to lipid or flavor science.

Eskin has made significant contributions to the understanding of the quality and stability of edible oils. His work has helped to establish canola oil as an important oil in the world market. He has made significant accomplishments in basic and applied research in lipid science useful to the food industry. He has published extensively in the area of lipid science, made major breakthroughs in research on lipids, and holds two patents. Eskin’s contributions to the edible oils market has been recognized by professional associations and the oil industry. He is the co-author and co-editor of 13 books. Eskin was recently selected as the new co-editor of Lipid Technology.

Marcel Loncin Research Prize: Wade Yang
$50,000 paid in two annual installments and a plaque

Weihua Wade Yang, Assistant Professor, Food Processing & Engineering, University of Florida, has received the 2012 Marcel Loncin Research Prize, which provides research funding to a scientist or engineer conducting basic chemistry, physics, or engineering research applied to food processing and the improvement of food quality.

Yang’s proposed research will focus on developing pulsed ultraviolet light technology for producing hypoallergenic peanut butter. The successful completion of this multi-disciplinary project, which is supported by the food industry (Kellogg’s) and government organizations (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service-Southern Regional Research Center), will yield technology for producing allergenic peanut butter as well as to generate optimal processing conditions for future scale-up.

W.K. Kellogg International Food Security Award and Lectureship: Bruce Hamaker
$3,500 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Bruce Hamaker, Professor of Food Science, Purdue University, is Director of the Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research and co-Director of the newly formed International Food Technology Center at Purdue. He has over three decades of experience working in developing countries.

Hamaker has an established research and publication record in the food science and nutrition areas, as well as noted achievement in applying such principles to agricultural and food science development work in Africa. He and his colleagues push toward transforming locally grown crops in Africa into competitive processed food products that can compete with imported products. New work has the potential to improve energy delivery from local foods to benefit marginally malnourished children. His group has made notable advances in understanding how to improve sorghum protein and energy availability. Collaborating with scientists and technologists in the West African Sahelian region, his team implemented or improved existing cereal processing technologies in a way that empowers local entrepreneurs to become more competitive in the marketplace. “Incubation Centers” were formed in Niger, Senegal, and Mali, whereby the food science units of the national agricultural research systems act as technology transfer and entrepreneur-nurturing centers. Hamaker has been an IFT member since 1985, has served as Chair of the Carbohydrate Division, and as a member of the Science Reports and Emerging Issues Committee of the Global Strategy Advisory Panel.

Tags: Annual Meeting, awards, Top Story
Posted in Awards & Competitions | 1 Comment »

Preview: 2012 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo

Friday, May 18th, 2012

IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo^®
June 25–28 , Las Vegas, Nev.
Las Vegas has long enjoyed a reputation as the capital of the U.S. gaming industry, a key draw for many of the 38 million people who visit the destination each year. This summer, when the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo^® comes to town June 25–28, it’s a pretty sure bet that Sin City will also be the capital of food science innovation and information.

The menu of Annual Meeting education options is extensive. More than 100 sessions and 1,200 poster presentations are scheduled on subjects ranging from sodium reduction to front-of-label packaging. The Food Expo will bring together 900-plus exhibitors occupying more than 210,000 sq ft of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Expo is the food industry’s largest collection of ingredients, equipment, processing, and packaging suppliers under one roof, and its enduring effectiveness as a venue for identifying trends, gathering information, and forming and maintaining business relationships is well recognized. And it’s all set against the lights of fabulous Las Vegas.

In this newsletter—the official preview of the show—you will find more in-depth information on the scientific sessions offered, in addition to some of the new products and services on display at the Food Expo. Make sure you don’t miss out on experiencing these exciting events firsthand … register today at www.ift.org/ift12.

Stay in the Loop at the Annual Meeting & Food Expo
New This Year

Starbucks’ Schultz to Speak at Keynote
Innovation is what drives the food industry. So it makes perfect sense that it will be high on the list of topics addressed by Keynote Session headliner Howard Schultz, President, CEO, and Chairman of Starbucks. In a presentation titled “The Importance of Innovation,” Schultz will share insights on the value of scientific innovation in creating thriving companies and communities and filing the talent pipeline. Prepare for a session that will jumpstart your Annual Meeting & Food Expo experience every bit as well as a Starbucks espresso. Sponsored by CornNaturally.com, the Keynote Session will take place from 8:30–10:15 a.m. June 26.

On the Expo Floor
It’s hard to imagine a better way to get an up-close view of food industry product development and technology innovation than walking the floor of the IFT Food Expo. Traversing the Expo is sure to be a rich sensory experience full of new sights, aromas, and tastes as exhibitors serve up inventive food and beverage prototypes, showcase colorful new packaging, and demonstrate cutting-edge analytical and processing equipment. Be prepared for a long walk, though; this year’s Expo will sprawl across more than 210,000 sq ft of space. Here’s a look at some of the highlights of this year’s Expo.

Here’s a look at some of the highlights of this year’s Expo.

Push for Sodium Reduction Continues
Better-for-you Oils
Colors Brighten the Expo Floor
Join in the Celebrations

What’s New! Returns
After a successful first year in 2011, the What’s New! program will return to the Food Expo floor this year. Hundreds of new products and services will be identified with an attention-grabbing yellow What’s New! logo. At the Food Expo, What’s New! floor stickers will help exhibitors with featured products to stand out. Products labeled with the What’s New! logo will also be included in the downloadable mobile phone application. In addition, products labeled with the logo will be featured on IFT Live’s homepage and listed within a tabbed section in the printed Program and Exhibit Directory available on-site.

Scientific & Education Programming
The Annual Meeting’s Scientific Program provides a forum for sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas on myriad food science and technology topics. It’s an ideal way to stay up to date about current research in food science and technology and its practical business applications. The peer-reviewed program is organized around key industry focus areas and the core sciences that represent the foundation of the food science discipline. The focus area tracks are as follows: Food Safety & Defense; Food Health & Nutrition; Food Processing & Packaging; Product Development & Ingredient Innovations; Sustainability; Public Policy, Food Laws & Regulations; and Education & Professional Development. Core science program tracks include Food Microbiology, Food Chemistry, Food Engineering, and Sensory Science.

Given the fact that there are more than 100 sessions in the Scientific Program this year, here are some sessions to be on the lookout for in some key trending topics.

Pre-Annual Meeting Short Courses
Nanotechnology Moves Forward
Sessions Advance Food Safety Knowledge

Tags: Annual Meeting, Food Expo, Top Story
Posted in Events | 1 Comment »

Starbuck’s Howard Schultz to Speak at IFT12

Monday, May 7th, 2012

The Importance of Innovation

The Institute of Food Technologists has announced that Howard Schultz, president, chairman, and chief executive officer of Starbucks, will be the Keynote speaker at the 2012 Annual Meeting & Food Expo. Named Fortune magazine’s 2011 Businessperson of the Year, Schultz has taken an active role in focusing public discussion on the importance of job creation to spur growth in the economy through a partnership between Starbucks and Opportunity Finance Network and the Create Jobs for the USA initiative. He will share insights on the importance of scientific innovation in creating thriving companies and communities, and filling the talent pipeline. Join us at the Keynote Session on June 26, from 8:30–10:15 a.m. to hear from IFT leaders, see what’s new at IFT, and be inspired by our keynote speaker, Howard Schultz, of Starbucks.

The Keynote Session is sponsored by CornNaturally.com.

Tags: Annual Meeting, Food Expo, keynote, Starbucks, Top Story
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Accepting Entries for the 2012 IFT Food Expo Innovation Awards

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Is your company a leader in its field but may not always get the credit it deserves? And are you exhibiting at the 2012 IFT Food Expo in Las Vegas, Nev., June 26–28? If you answered yes to both questions, then gain recognition for your ingenuity and achievements by entering the 2012 IFT Food Expo Innovation awards. The deadline of April 15 is fast approaching so enter today.

The product, technology, ingredient, instrumentation, equipment, or service must have been commercially introduced since Jan. 1, 2011. In addition, new applications of existing products/services that were commercially introduced since Jan. 1, 2011 also are eligible. There is no entry fee, and companies may submit more than one entry. Qualifying entries will be reviewed by an independent, expert panel of judges.

Some guidelines for submitting:

All entry materials must be in English.

All entries must be submitted online.

All entry descriptions must be 500 words or less.

Once your entry has been submitted, you cannot re-submit the form.

You may attach up to three supporting documentation, such as brochures, by using the “Attach File” option located at the top of the online form.

Winning entries will be announced and awarded prior to the opening of the exhibit floor at the 2012 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Las Vegas. This allows winning companies to promote their achievements at their booths, increasing booth traffic and attracting prospective customers. In addition, IFT will further spread the word by publicizing these outstanding innovations in the IFT Live (the electronic show daily), on-site press materials, ift.org website, and in the September Official Post-Show issue of Food Technology magazine.

Enter here.

If you experience technical difficulties or have questions, please e-mail dvernsey@ift.org.

See last year’s winners.

Tags: Food Expo, Innovation Awards, product development, Top Story
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First Beacon Lecturer Announced

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Introduced last year, the Beacon Lecturer series will take place again at the 2012 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo. Two sessions will be led by two prestigious individuals who use their extensive experience and knowledge to dispense provocative opinions and cutting-edge strategies in the fields of science and technology. Each session will include a 30 minute presentation followed by a 15 minute Q&A. IFT is excited to announce the first Beacon Lecturer for 2012 is Mehmood Khan, CEO, Global Nutrition Group, and Chief Scientific Officer of PepsiCo.

Khan will speak on Tuesday, June 26 at 4 p.m. Khan leads company-wide research and development and has overseen PepsiCo’s expanded investment in R&D by recruiting highly regarded clinical scientists, global health leaders, and medical experts. As CEO, Global Nutrition Group, he directs PepsiCo’s enterprise planning, portfolio development, and execution of new technology to accelerate growth of a global architecture for the company’s nutrition-focused brands. Previously, Khan was a faculty member at the Mayo Clinic, serving as Director of the Diabetes, Endocrine, and Nutritional Trials Unit in the division of endocrinology.

What resources and expertise can a global food and beverage business leverage in order to enable access to safe, delicious, and affordable nutrition worldwide? Chartered with growing PepsiCo’s portfolio of nutritious foods and beverages from approximately $14 billion in revenue currently to $30 billion by the year 2020, the Global Nutrition Group (GNG) brings together the best of PepsiCo research & development, product innovation, operations, and marketing expertise from across the company to accelerate food and beverage product and process innovation across 22 billion-dollar-brands, including Quaker Oats, Tropicana, and Gatorade, in addition to the company’s core Pepsi and Lay’s businesses. Learn how Khan leverages his unique experience and perspective as a medical doctor to meet the challenges of accelerating innovation across the company and around the world.

IFT is equally excited to introduce the second Beacon Lecturer, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer for that announcement in April. Stay tuned…

Tell us: Do you plan to attend the Beacon Lecture series?

Tags: Annual Meeting, beacon lecturer, Pepsico, Top Story
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IFTSA Competition Winners

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

by Kelly Hensel

Congratulations to all the IFT Student Association 2011 Competition Winners!

And thanks to all the finalist teams that participated.

Product Development Competition, sponsored by Mars:

• 1st place: Michigan State University — Minute Escape
• 2nd place: Cornell University — Vege3
• 3rd place: University of Wisconsin-Madison — Blissful Bites

Developing Solutions for Developing Countries Competition, sponsored by General Mills:

• Domestic:
• 1st Place National: Cornell University (photo, left) — Mandimais
• 2nd Place National: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities — Nkwa Brodo
• 3rd Place National: Rutgers University — Galletas Fortaleza

• International:
• 1st Place International: Brawijaya University, Indonesia (photo, right) — instant noodles
• 2nd Place International: Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia — soy rice porridge
• 3rd Place International: Institute of Chemical Technology, India — Ferro-Power

Nutritious Food for Kids, sponsored by Disney Consumer Products:

• Grand prize—University of Wisconsin, Madison (graduate) (photo) — Pixie Dust Fruit Beverage Mix
• First place—University of Arkansas — Phenomenal Funchies

Chapter of the Year, sponsored by PepsiCo:

• Chapter of the Year—Oregon State University (photo, right)
• Most Improved Chapter—University of Minnesota

Undergraduate Research Paper Competition:

• First place—Abigal Snyder (Ohio State University)
• Second—Dominque Sinopoli (Cornell)
• Third—Karen Chang (Rutgers)

College Bowl winner: Ohio State University (photo)

Thanks again to all of our Sponsors!

Tags: Annual Meeting, awards, College Bowl, competition, IFTSA, Top Story, winners
Posted in Archive, Awards & Competitions | 1 Comment »

White House Chef Urges Tomorrow’s Food Leaders to Think ‘Outside the Box’ to Create Healthier Products

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

by Bob Swientek

Innovative, “outside-the-box” thinking is needed in product development to get more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into the diets of Americans, said Sam Kass, White House Chef & Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives at an address to more than 500 students at the Monday evening IFTSA Welcome Assembly & 26th Annual College Bowl Competition.

Kass acknowledged the role that food science and technology plays in our modern society, delivering safe, affordable, and convenient foods. But the unintended consequences of this abundant food supply have contributed to an obesity epidemic in the United States. About one-third of children are overweight or obese and one in three of these children will develop diabetes in their lifetimes, noted Kass. Healthcare costs related to obesity amount to about $150 billion annually in the United States.

“We want to make the healthiest choice the easiest choice,” said Kass. But there is no magic bullet. Solving the obesity epidemic requires a collective effort and everyone must play a part, explained Kass. For food science students, tomorrow’s food leaders, their part and challenge is to create healthier foods with less sodium, sugar, and fat that are delicious.

These challenges are not easy. “If I one day reduced sodium 50% in the dishes I prepare at the White House, I would not have a job,” Kass remarked. “But you can reduce sodium gradually over time so that the food is acceptable and enjoyable.” In addition, Kass noted the examples of microwavable prepared vegetables and bagged salads as ways the food industry is already answering the call for the healthier products.

While First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign is spearheading the effort to end childhood obesity in a generation, the problem will not be solved in Washington, DC, declared Kass. “Obesity is a local issue and must be solved block to block to and neighborhood to neighborhood,” said Kass. “We must ensure that families have access to healthy and affordable foods. We need to connect kids to food at an early age, such as through cooking or planting a vegetable garden. This basic education forms a foundation that will help them make better food choices throughout their lives,” said Kass.

Tags: Annual Meeting, healthy foods, IFTSA, Let's Move, obesity, Sam Kass, Top Story
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Dr. Regina Benjamin Defines a Role for Food Science

Monday, June 13th, 2011

by Toni Tarver

For the Beacon Lecture series on Monday, June 13, Dr. Regina Benjamin, U.S. Surgeon General, laid out her goal for the health and wellness of U.S. citizens. Food science and the food industry play significant roles in her vision. “As America’s doctor, I really want to provide the best scientific knowledge” to make the lifestyles of Americans healthier, she said. And the best time to provide that knowledge is before illness strikes: a strategy for prevention. Food is an important part of this strategy, and Dr. Benjamin emphasized the role that the food industry can play in the prevention of food-related disease.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s MyPlate icon emphasizes the dietary elements necessary for a healthy lifestyle: at least half a plate of fresh fruits and vegetables. “We are working on getting fresh produce into neighborhoods where there are no grocery stores,” Dr. Benjamin said. And as part of the First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, several food companies—including The Coca Cola Company, ConAgra, Kellogg Company, and Kraft Foods—have committed to trim 1.5 trillion calories from their food products by 2015. The food industry can also direct their efforts to offering more healthy food products that mirror the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These endeavors will ensure that consumers have the tools necessary to make healthier lifestyle choices that can lead to healthier lives.

While the role of the food industry is significant, perhaps that of the medical industry is even more important. “We need to move from a system based on [treating illness] to one of preventing illness,” Dr. Benjamin said. This may mean changing the curriculum at medical schools so that it includes more courses on food science and nutrition. Hopefully, once physicians, food scientists, and food manufacturers are armed with the same information, consumers will gain more access to resources for maintaining good health and preventing food-related diseases.

Tags: Annual Meeting, beacon lecturer, food science, MyPlate, prevention, Top Story
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A Taste for Reduced Sodium

Monday, June 13th, 2011

by Toni Tarver

Although the movement to reduce sodium intake is underway, strategies to limit sodium in foods are diverse and not as straightforward as simply reducing the use of salt in food preparation. During Session 183, “Reducing Sodium in Foods: Implications for Flavor and Health,” presenter Russell Keast of Deakin University in Australia pointed out that humans have a biological imperative for sodium intake. Because of organisms’ evolutionary transition from sea to land, cells require a saline (i.e., salty) solution to function properly. For this reason, humans have a dietary requirement for sodium and an urge for it as well. Yet some humans crave more saltiness than others and have far more sensitive taste receptors than others.

According to presenter John Hayes of Pennsylvania State University, biological differences in taste perception exist, and optimal salt levels differ by sex (male vs. female). These genetic tasting factors make the relationship between saltiness and food likability a complex issue than cannot be solved by unilaterally cutting the salt level of foods across the board. Janice Johnson of Cargill Inc., emphasized that sodium reduction in foods is very challenging for the food industry. It involves achieving desired flavor attributes, which varies by type of food, and maintaining a salt level that maintains a high microbial management for food safety purposes. Food manufacturers are therefore identifying all ingredients in food formulations that are sources of sodium so that sodium reduction can be a multilateral approach.

Chefs are also working to reformulate recipes to reduce sodium in restaurant food. Presenter Chris Loss of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) says that most chefs refrain from relying solely on salt to season food. Instead, chefs use salt as a conduit to increase the flavor, depth, and texture of other flavorful ingredients such as herbs and spices and fruits and vegetables (e.g., onions, garlic). In addition, they rely on various culinary techniques (i.e., cooking and preparation methods) to enhance the natural flavor of foods. For example, the CIA determined that a 40% reduction in salt use can be achieved without a decrease in a food’s likability factor by seasoning the food on the surface after cooking.

With these insights into the prepping and cooking of food, the solution to reducing America’s sodium intake may not be simple but it will certainly be flavorful.

Tags: Annual Meeting, formulation, sodium reduction, taste receptors, Top Story
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Humidity Can’t Keep the Fun Runners Down

Monday, June 13th, 2011

by Kelly Hensel

There’s nothing quite like starting the day off with a run in the New Orleans heat and humidity. Still, the heat didn’t deter the 575+ people that registered to take part in Feeding Tomorrow’s 11th Annual Fun Run on Monday morning, June 13, at Audobon Park. In total, sponsorships garnered over $77,000, once again a record high for Feeding Tomorrow scholarships. Among the runners, the Oregon State Beaver team all sported beaver tails, and of course Cornell University’s team was out in force. As in previous years, Bruce Ferree, California Natural Products, again raised the most money for a single person. Just for participating, all runners received a race t-shirt.

Men
• David Peters (photo), with a time of 16:19
• Steven Powell, with a time of 17:15
• Louis Garay, with a time of 18:22

Women
• Julie Wankowski (photo), with a time of 19:34
• Rachel Prososki, with a time of 19:53
• Jessica Kennedy, with a time of 20:34

The list of times for the female runners is here. The list of times for the male runners can be found here.

The IFTSA and Feeding Tomorrow gratefully acknowledge the Fun Run event sponsors:

Platinum: Michael Foods Inc., Roquette America Inc., Chicago Section IFT, D.D. Williamson, Glanbia Nutritionals, Southern California Section IFT, McCormick & Co., PepsiCo

Gold: David Michael & Co., Richmond Baking, GNT, Del Monte Foods, Symrise, Eurofins

Bronze: Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, Maryland Section IFT, E.T. Horn Co., IFT Foodservice Division, Oregon Section IFT, Mars Chocolate North America, Western New York Section IFT, Wisconsin Section IFT

Tags: Annual Meeting, Feeding Tomorrow, scholarships, Top Story, winners
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Ensuring Food Safety after a Nuclear Disaster

Monday, June 13th, 2011

by Karen Nachay

Environmental accidents do affect the food supply and consumer perceptions of food safety, but speed, consistency, and communication are keys to responding to food safety issues, reported Ronald Klein, President of the Association of Food and Drug Officials. He and other experts were on hand to provide information about addressing food safety concerns arising from radioactivity in the late-breaking session “Food after Fukushima: Responding to Radioactive Material as a Foodborne Contaminant.”

Klein, who is with the Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Anchorage, Alaska, explained to the audience how Alaskan officials worked to determine risk and ensure the safety of food in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan and the resulting nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility. There was immediate reaction to concerns of radioactivity in foods from consumers and officials in Alaska and around the world. Alaska has plenty at stake: Its seafood industry is a significant segment of its economy and its wild foods like birds, marine and terrestrial mammals, and marine vegetation provide subsistence to many people who do not have access to markets. Alaskan officials partnered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies to coordinate environmental health evaluating activities and determine risk assessment, said Klein. Analysis of the data, including data from exposure assessment, toxicity assessment, and risk characterization has shown that radiation release from Fukushima does not pose a risk to fisheries, wild foods, and human health.

Even though Klein and Patricia Hansen from the FDA said that results of their organizations extensive research show that consumers can have confidence in the safety of Alaskan seafood and FDA-regulated foods from Japan, Aurora Saulo, Extension Specialist in Food Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, said that results of research she conducted show that most of the consumers who were surveyed for the study will not purchase food products imported from Japan and that their emotions drive the decisions in purchasing these products.

Finally, Kirk Kealy, Director of Raw Material & Supplier Safety, Pepsico, gave the perspective of a large, multinational food company in dealing with such a crisis. In addition to working with U.S. and Japanese officials and crafting a consistent message for consumers and the media, Pepsico had to verify the safety and assess risk of the raw materials imported from Japan and determine possible disruptions to the supply chain if any of these raw materials cannot be used.

Tags: Annual Meeting, food safety, foodborne, natural disasters, Top Story
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Communicating Food Safety Issues in a Global Society

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

by Karen Nachay

Outbreaks are not due to bad luck, they are due to bad management, explained Patrick G. Wall, Professor of Public Health at the University College Dublin and one of the Institute of Food Technologists’ inaugural Beacon Lecturers.

During the last 25 years many high profile food scares and outbreaks have occurred in the European Union that have eroded consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply and the regulators charged with overseeing food safety issues. As a result, a series of reforms to EU food safety policies and changes to the regulatory environment were established, including reforming EU food laws, creating the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to centralize risk assessment, and establishing a food and veterinary office to audit systems and establish standards for food products within and outside the EU. Wall explained in his presentation, “Reform of Food Safety Control in the EU: Are there Lessons for the USA?”, that despite the EU’s efforts in reforming how it addresses food safety, especially with creating the EFSA, challenges still remain in the global food market.

One challenge Wall discussed in particular was communicating to the consumer in an era of a 24/7 news cycle increasingly dominated by social media and the blogosphere. When a food safety issue arises, media demand answers immediately, which can be burdensome to the regulators dedicating their time and resources to determining the cause of an outbreak. There is also disconnect between consumers and modern food production systems meaning people do not understand where their food comes from, said Wall. Scientists, regulators, and company officials should keep in mind that communication is a two-way process: They should answer questions as well as ask of others what should be addressed, added Wall.

Tags: Annual Meeting, beacon lecturer, food safety, social media, Top Story
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Celebrity Chef John Besh Launches Monk Fruit Sweetener

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

by Donald E. Pszczola

The launch of Purefruit^™ monk fruit extract was celebrated at a food- and drink-tasting event, hosted by New Orleans Chef John Besh at Tate & Lyle, Booth 6229, on Sunday, June 12, from 3:30–5 p.m. Besh prepared several dessert and cocktail recipes using the natural fruit-based, calorie-free sweetener solution.

Tate & Lyle recently entered into a five-year strategic partnership agreement with New Zealand-based BioVittoria, a producer and processor of monk fruit. According to the agreement, Tate & Lyle receives exclusive global marketing and distribution rights for BioVittoria’s monk fruit extract which will be sold in the United States under the Purefruit brand name. Using proprietary, natural methods, the Tate & Lyle research team has further refined and improved the taste of its Purefruit products for a variety of commercial applications, although BioVittoria will continue management of the monk fruit extract supply line, including seedling cultivation, the grower network, and natural processing.

Monk fruit, also known as luo han guo, is native to Southeast Asia where it has been in use for hundreds of years. Its pulp is steeped in hot water to release a natural, calorie-free sweetening ingredient that is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. Monk fruit extract received a letter in January 2010 stating that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had no questions after receipt of BioVitoria’s GRAS notification. The extract made from monk fruit can help reduce sugar and calories in a variety of formulations, including beverages, dairy products, cereals, confections, and bakery products.

“In addition to its great taste, Purefruit enables a ‘sweetened with fruit extract’ label claim, which our research shows is extremely appealing to consumers,” noted Karl Kramer, President, Innovation & Commercial Development, for Tate & Lyle. He also noted that the agreement with BioVittoria has expanded Tate & Lyle’s broad portfolio of wellness ingredients and helped to advance the company’s strategy of extending its leadership position as a global provider of specialty food ingredient solutions.

The monk fruit extract is one of several ingredients that Tate & Lyle is highlighting at IFT Food Expo. For example, soluble corn fiber, Promitor 85, is featured in such prototypes as hummus chips and curry salsa. Other ingredients include Splenda sucralose in Arnold Palmer Tea and Lemonade, instant granular starch in key lime filling, instant pregel starch in whipped cheesecake, and food systems for sour cream.

At the food and drink tasting event attendees were able to watch Chef Besh as he demonstrated the benefits of monk fruit as a natural sweetener solution. Attendees were also eligible to win a dinner for four on Monday, June 13 at Besh’s popular New Orleans restaurant August. Executive chef, TV personality, and cookbook author, Besh has set the benchmark for fine dining in New Orleans with six successful restaurants.

Tags: Food Expo, fruit, John Besh, partnership, sweeteners, Top Story
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Chefs and Food Scientists Working Side by Side

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

by Kelly Hensel

It is becoming increasingly common for food scientists to be inspired by the culinary world and vice versa. At this year’s IFT/RCA presentation on Sunday, June 12, a chef and food scientist from Bruce Foods shared how they are bringing together their respective fields to enhance the product development process. Chef Nick Landry (photo, left), Corporate and R&D Chef, kicked off the presentation by explaining to the audience what the chef can bring to the table.

Firstly, chefs by nature and training understand the use and interaction of flavors and ingredients. They also have experience in food preparation for retail and foodservice environments. Finally, they can add value through customer service, such as providing recipes and advice on how to use the product in new and unique ways. On the other side, food scientists enhance the working experience by bringing their appreciation for product testing and control, their knowledge of shelf life, nutrition, and packaging, and their experience with staging up products to full-scale production.

Joe Orr (photo, right), Food Scientist and Director of R&D, described how he was able to work with Landry to develop a new sweet potato side dish for Bruce Foods. Orr began by explaining the challenges they had to face for the project. These included, shelf life, appearance (color, texture and viscosity), and the flavor. The key to beginning any product development project is to “know your core competencies,” said Orr. This includes the competencies of the company and the abilities of yourself and your coworkers.

In the case of the sweet potato side dish, Orr and Landry knew that Bruce Foods is really good at canning, so they decided to go with a canned product. They then worked together to tackle the flavor profile, color optimization, improve the texture, among many other facets of the project. “We wanted to create a canned sweet potato product that would appeal to consumers as a side dish all year round,” explained Orr. And by each of them offering their different backgrounds and skill sets, they were able to create a product that is now on the market and will hopefully lead to many other successful product line extensions for Bruce Foods.

Tags: Annual Meeting, culinology, RCA, sweet potatoes, Top Story
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Keynote Session: Speaking Out for Science

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

by Mary Ellen Kuhn

Journalist Michael Specter and panelists representing the food industry tackled the complicated question of how to go about changing the image of food science in the marketplace during a provocative Keynote Session on Sunday morning, June 12.

Specter, a New Yorker staff writer who has frequently focused on issues of science and public health, set the stage for the discussion in a presentation that underscored U.S. consumers’ mounting mistrust of science. Anti-science attitudes are dangerous, Specter said, noting that they have led to a wide-ranging—although unsubstantiated— mistrust of genetically modified foods.

“Environmental issues exist with genetically modified food,” Specter acknowledged. “There are political and philosophical issues. Here’s an issue there isn’t: There isn’t a health issue. There’s never been a single issue of a person becoming sick from eating a genetically engineered food.”

The public needs to begin to understand and accept that all scientific progress comes with attendant risks, and it’s up to organizations and individuals to evaluate that risk and make a decision about whether to accept specific scientific and technological innovations.

Unfortunately, he said, society has become increasingly risk averse. More and more, we have come to embrace “precautionary principles,” which suggest that “we should not engage in any sort of activity unless we have mapped out all possible risks.” Such an approach makes it impossible for society to advance and progress; with this attitude, there would have been “no x-rays, no antibiotics, no green revolution,” Specter said.

“There is a risk to everything we do,” Specter continued. “We need to look at the benefits and look at the downsides of everything we do.

“Technology can be misused,” Specter observed. “It will be misused. That doesn’t mean technology is bad.”

Specter cited the example of raw milk as a product that consumers may perceive to be naturally healthful and beneficial while in reality, “it’s deadly. “Raw milk has been linked to all sorts of problems. It’s worth remembering that in 1938—before pasteurization—milk caused 25% of all outbreaks of foodborne illness.”

One of the things that makes it difficult for scientists to correct misperceptions about the dangers of science and technology, said Specter, is the fact that scientists tend to rely on a logical presentation of data without recognizing the importance of addressing the beliefs and emotions that consumers associate with a technology.

To change that scenario, the food industry needs to do a better job of “storytelling,” contended panel discussion participant Martin Cole, Chief of CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences. “We need to need make it personal,” Cole continued. “As scientists we’re very good about talking about how we do things. We need to make personal.”

Panelist Mary Wagner, Senior Vice President, Global R&D/Quality, Starbucks Coffee Co., agreed. Starbucks, for example, has reportedly saved consumers 17 billion calories by converting from whole milk to 2% milk in its beverages—a benefit that is meaningful to consumers.

“You can’t just say, ‘look at the data,’” Specter said. “Instead,” he said, “the food industry needs to do a better job of communication—using tools that include the Internet and social media.

“One of the things we don’t teach about risk is the risk of not doing things,” said Specter. “If we don’t pasteurize milk, there is a risk that 23,000 kids will die.

“Go out and educate,” he urged the food science community. “Fight on the internet. People want to believe that things are simple. They’re not. You need to remember that progress is why we are here.”

“I don’t think we do a good enough job of being on the offensive,” said Wagner. “We have to find a venue to do that and to do that together [as an industry].”

Specter offered the last word to the Keynote Session audience—urging food scientists to get aggressive telling their side of the story. “You need to be out there on the field, battling with truth. If you don’t, people will think there is something you are hiding.”

Tags: Annual Meeting, Keynote Session, Michael Specter, Science, Top Story
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Four ‘Must Sees’ on the Food Expo Floor

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

At the Sunday morning keynote session of the 2011 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo®, incoming IFT President Roger Clemens and President-Elect John Ruff announced and presented four companies with the 2011 IFT Food Expo Innovation Awards. The winners are DuPont Teijin Films, Ecolab, Loders Croklaan North America, and Summit Resource Group.

“Now in its fifth year, the Food Expo Innovation Awards are a showcase for the ongoing ingenuity in our profession and, in some cases, the results of collaborative work among, industry, academia, and government,” said Ruff.

A panel of nine jurors from industry and academia with broad expertise in research & product development, processing & packaging technology, and food safety selected the four companies and their innovations from 53 qualified entries. Only companies exhibiting at the 2011 IFT Food Expo in New Orleans were eligible. Judging criteria included degree of innovation, technical advancement, benefits to food manufacturers and consumers, and scientific merit.

DuPont Teijin Films (Booth 3706) garnered the 2011 IFT Food Expo Innovation Award for its Mylar® Cook Ovenable Pouch, which provides an innovative “no-touch” cooking solution for frozen or refrigerated raw proteins. The patented rollstock thermoforming film can be cooked in conventional, convection, or microwave ovens at temperatures up to 425° F. The packaging reduces cooking time by up to 30%, saving energy use in home, restaurant, or institutional kitchens.

Ecolab (Booth 6447) won the award for its Zero Trans Fat Oil Cleaning Program, which interacts with the zero-trans-fat oil soils by breaking down the polymerized soil residues and then emulsifying the oil. The technology works at ambient temperature, reducing energy costs associated with heating hot water. It also is designed to cling to vertical surfaces and stay wet on these surfaces long enough to clean hard-to-reach areas, such as catwalks, fryer hood vents, walls, and ceilings.

Loders Croklaan North America (Booth 6523) was honored for its SansTrans VLS30 and VLS40 shortenings, which can reduce saturated fat content and calories in bakery and snack foods. Both shortenings contain a fat-sparing emulsifier package that allows a reduction in use of up to 15% fat in applications that currently use an all-purpose shortening. Saturated fat is reduced up to 30% and fat content plus calories from fat is reduced by 15%. The products’ modest fat reduction does not alter the taste and texture of finished products.

Summit Resource Group (Booth 7051) captured the 2011 IFT Food Expo Innovation Award for its NC-518 Calcium for Bone Health. The ingredient is produced through a patented manufacturing technology to enhance the availability of trace minerals and zinc in the calcium. The patented laser micronization process electrostatically enhances the zinc delivery system, thus allowing the calcium to absorb in the bloodstream and support bone health. Human clinical studies have demonstrated increased bone density.

Tags: Food Expo, food expo innovation awards, Top Story
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Malcolm Bourne Receives 2011 Appert Award

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

by Kelly Hensel

Malcolm Bourne, Emeritus Professor of Food Science, Cornell University, was honored as the recipient of the 2011 Nicholas Appert Award on Saturday, June 11, at the Awards Celebration. Robert Gravani, IFT President, presented Bourne with the award, which is IFT’s highest honor and is given annually to an IFT member for preeminence in and contributions to the field of food science and technology. The award includes a $5,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT.

As one of the first scientists to apply the rigor of physics to analyze food texture, Bourne adapted a strength-of-materials testing machine to measure textural properties of foods. As a result, a sizeable industry has grown around the manufacture of such machines designed specifically for testing foods. Bourne’s influence on the importance of texture as a food-quality attribute and his development of improved methods for measuring texture spans more than 45 years. He has lectured and taught short courses in food texture throughout the United States and in more than 30 countries. Bourne’s book, Food Texture and Viscosity—Concept and Measurement, is the standard text in the field. Bourne was elected an IFT Fellow in 1985 and received the Bor S. Luh International Award in 1992.

2011 IFT Achievement Awards
In addition to presenting Bourne with the Nicholas Appert Award, IFT recognized 12 other achievements on at the Awards Celebration.

IFTSA Excellence in Leadership Award
The purpose of the IFTSA Excellence in Leadership Award is to recognize two student members of IFT, one undergraduate and one graduate student, who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in their execution of student activities at the chapter, regional, and national levels of IFT. This year’s winners are:

Helen Melito, Graduate Student, North Carolina State University

Emily Del Bel, Undergraduate Student, Oregon State University

Babcock-Hart Award: Rui Hai Liu
$3,000 honorarium from the International Life Sciences Institute North America and a plaque from IFT

Rui Hai Liu, Professor, Cornell University, received the 2011 Babcock-Hart Award for innovative food engineering technologies, which have improved public health through nutrition.

Liu’s multidisciplinary training in medicine, food science, toxicology, and nutrition has shaped his research, which integrates medical and nutritional research with analytical chemistry and food chemistry research. His contributions have demonstrated the importance of combining aspects of food science, nutrition, and health. Liu has been recognized for his work on whole food synergy and bioactive compounds in the prevention of chronic diseases, and on the health benefits of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In addition, his research has had significant impact on practical food industry applications and public health policy. He was elected an IFT Fellow in 2010. He is also an elected Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology and an elected Fellow of the Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry of the American Chemical Society.

Research and Development Award: Micha Peleg
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Micha Peleg, Professor, University of Massachusetts, received the 2011 Research and Development Award for significant research and contribution to the understanding of food science and engineering.

Peleg and his research team’s work have convinced many in the scientific community and food industry to re-evaluate the methods to predict microbial inactivation and adopt a nonlinear kinetic approach to sterility calculations. The team’s more precise characterization of the inactivation kinetics could reduce over-processing of foods and help improve their nutritional value and quality without sacrificing their safety.

The non-linear kinetic approach has been extended to microbial growth, acrylamide formation, lipid oxidation, and vitamin degradation during processing and storage. The team’s contributions to food science also include a quantitative method to characterize the texture of brittle and puffed cereals and how texture is affected by moisture sorption, as well as a handy method to calculate the equilibrium water activity of dry mixtures to guarantee their biological and chemical stability. Peleg’s team has developed mathematical models and methods that are being used in research and industrial laboratories in several countries, as well as many interactive programs for solving a variety of practical problems encountered in food technology and engineering.

Carl R. Fellers Award: Christine Bruhn
$3,000 honorarium from Phi Tau Sigma Honorary Society and a plaque from IFT

Christine Bruhn, Cooperative Extension Specialist, University of California, received the 2011 Carl R. Fellers Award for service to the field of Food Science and Technology and for bringing honor to the profession.

As the international authority on consumer attitudes toward food irradiation and other novel technologies, Bruhn presents overviews of food safety and risk to national and international audiences and encourages the scientific community to consider research-based perspectives of consumer attitudes. She has improved the food science profession through her service and leadership with IFT and the International Association for Food Protection, as well as her appointments to and consultation with state, national, and international agencies and organizations. She was appointed to the inaugural U.S. Food and Drug Administration Risk Communication Advisory Committee and is the only food sector representative. This committee shaped the FDA’s strategic plan for risk communication and revised the food recall press release. Bruhn’s technical background, combined with her articulate, sensitive, and novel approach in delivering information using online videos and other social media networks, successfully conveys health and food safety messages that colleagues, legislators, and consumers can understand. Bruhn was elected an IFT Fellow in 2002.

Bor S. Luh International Award: Gleyn Bledsoe
$3,000 honorarium from the Bor S. Luh Endowment Fund of Feeding Tomorrow and a plaque from IFT

Gleyn Bledsoe, Provost, Lahore American University, and Adjunct Professor, University of Idaho, is the recipient of the 2011 Bor S. Luh International Award for his dedication to the international exchange of food technology ideas, a better international understanding of food technology, and successful, practical transfer of food technology to economically depressed areas.

Bledsoe began his international professional and philanthropic activities in the 1960s by leading efforts to build libraries and schools in Vietnam while stationed there with the U.S. Air Force. For the past 20 years, he has volunteered at least two months per year to improve food-based businesses in economically depressed areas around the world, most recently in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. His work has improved the quality, safety, and sustainable production capacity of aquatic food products, increasing the value of aquaculture and fisheries products and exports into international markets and creating many new jobs. In 2009, Bledsoe was appointed to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Trilateral Afghanistan–Pakistan–USA Trade Commission to develop recommendations for future U.S. agricultural aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as strategies to improve agricultural trade throughout Central Asia. Bledsoe has helped hundreds of small businessmen in 72 countries to build successful food businesses in difficult economic, financial, regulatory, and market environments. He has secured several millions of dollars in grants and loans for micro-enterprises and capital projects, particularly for women-owned enterprises.

Samuel Cate Prescott Award: Soo-Yeun Lee
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Soo-Yeun Lee, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, received the 2011 Samuel Cate Prescott Award for outstanding work in food science research. The recipient of this award must be less than 36 years of age or have received his or her highest degree within the previous 10 years.

Lee has developed a fundamental sensory science research program that applies sensory evaluation methods to producing health-targeted food products and that studies how to conduct sensory tests more effectively. This has led to the formulation of improved high-protein soy-based food products, as well as the application of novel ideas in sensory threshold tests. The research program has affected soy producers and the agribusiness of Illinois by enhancing the use of soybeans through understanding the physical, chemical, and sensory properties of soy-related products, and developing innovative uses for soy-derived ingredients. She has received funding from the Midwestern Advanced Food Manufacturing Alliances, private industry, and the Illinois Soybean Association. Lee’s research has helped to advance the food science discipline and improve the healthfulness and well-being of the general public. Additionally, her positive influence in the classroom is furthering her impact on the food industry as her students accept influential positions within the food industry.

Myron Solberg Award: Colin Dennis
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Colin Dennis, Professor and Retired Chief Executive Officer, Campden BRI, received the 2011 Myron Solberg Award for leadership in the establishment and successful development and continuation of industry/government/academia cooperative organization.

Throughout Dennis’ career in food science and technology, he has dedicated himself to developing collaborative efforts between industry, government, and academia. During his career at Campden BRI, Dennis negotiated a government-funded energy conservation project for the food canning industry that demonstrated how companies could save on energy bills with little or no capital investment. This was accomplished more than 20 years before the current interest in energy conservation. He also initiated the employment of university students for industrial training at CampdenBRI, created an industrial training partnership program for post-graduate students, and worked with industrial and academic partners to establish a shared-cost research program between industry and government that included a university as a partner. He encouraged his staff to give lectures at collaborating universities. Dennis was the first staff member of Campden BRI to be appointed as a University Visiting Professor; subsequently three staff members were similarly appointed.

Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award: MicroThermics Inc.
A plaque from IFT

MicroThermics received the 2011 Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award for its laboratory-scaled UHT/HTST Direct-Indirect Process System (DIP) with Full Automation.

For more than 20 years, MicroThermics has helped advance research and new products with companies and universities around the world. Realizing a need to study and test industrial ultra-high temperature/extended shelf life and aseptic processes in the laboratory, MicroThermics created its first laboratory-scaled process simulators. These systems use clients’ data from their own manufacturing processes to refine their operating conditions. To optimize this capability the company creates software to support different calculations. The use of the process simulator system significantly reduces the time-to-market and the developing, manufacturing, and processing costs of new products. By testing numerous batches per day rather than conducting plant trials, which are more expensive and time-consuming, users can save time and money. Formulations and processing conditions can be finalized more rapidly with the processing system. The Direct-Indirect Processing System has facilitated accelerated research and advanced technologies at the industrial, educational, and academic levels. This has advanced the quality, safety, and efficiencies of the production of food products.

William V. Cruess Award: Jeff Culbertson
$3,000 honorarium from IFT and a bronze medal from the Northern California Section of IFT

Jeff Culbertson, Professor, School of Food Science, Washington State University and the University of Idaho, received the 2011 William V. Cruess Award for excellence in teaching food science and technology.

Culbertson’s steadfast commitment to being an advocate for students and the food science profession has made him an outstanding and innovative educator who is one of the pioneers of online teaching of food science and nutrition topics. Students have consistently ranked him in the top one percent of all instructors at each of the universities where he has taught. Enrollment in food science and nutrition courses and departmental majors in food science have dramatically increased wherever he has taught. Culbertson is a food science teaching innovator; he has been instrumental in developing several online master’s degree programs and an online certificate program that has served more than 600 food professionals throughout the United States. In addition, his commitment to food science students is evident through his participation in and leadership of the IFT Education Division.

Sensory and Consumer Sciences Achievement Award: Chris Findlay
$3,000 honorarium from Sensory and Consumer Science Division and a plaque from IFT

Chris Findlay, Founder and Chairman, Compusense, received the 2011 Sensory and Consumer Sciences Achievement Award, which recognizes an individual for excellence within the sensory and consumer sciences field.

Findlay in 1986 founded Compusense to meet the demand for computerization of sensory analysis as a tool to accelerate the product development cycle. Currently, the company’s sensory software products are used in more than 50 countries on five continents and operating in 25 languages. Findlay has directed research on sensory methodologies, resulting in many published articles and presentations. Some of these methodologies, such as computerized time intensity and feedback calibration for descriptive panel training and performance monitoring, are now accepted practice within the sensory world. He has been a member of IFT since 1978.

Sensory and Consumer Sciences Achievement Award: Howard Schutz
$3,000 honorarium from Sensory and Consumer Science Division and a plaque from IFT

Howard Schutz, Emeritus Professor of Consumer Sciences, University of California, Davis, received the 2011 Sensory and Consumer Sciences Achievement Award, which recognizes an individual for excellence within the sensory and consumer sciences field.

With more than 60 years of experience in the sensory and consumer sciences field, Schutz has focused his career on taste and odor research, preference measurement and methodology, liking prediction from sensory attributes, and cognitive and context factors in food acceptance. During his career, he assembled the first sensory group in industry that employed experimental psychologists who used psychometric techniques to develop testing methodology. He also developed the food action scale (FACT) to measure liking and use characteristics of foods and beverages. While at UC Davis Extension, Schutz founded the only distance-learning certificate program in sensory and consumer sciences. Nearly 300 students from around the world have completed the program in the past nine years. He is also a visiting scientist at the U.S. Army Research and Development Command, where he helped to develop the labeled affective magnitude scale (LAM) and a scale for measuring satiety. He is currently developing methods to evaluate variations in menu information and studying the senior palate in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America. Schutz has been a member of IFT since 1963.

Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service Award: Herbert Stone
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Herbert Stone, Co-founder and Past President of Tragon Corp., received the 2011 Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service Award for meritorious and imaginative service to IFT.

For more than 42 years, Stone has been actively involved with IFT. He has served on more than 25 committees, juries, and task forces. He served as IFT President (2004–2005) and served on the Board of Directors. Most notably, Stone spearheaded efforts to establish a close relationship with the Chinese Institute of Food Science & Technology. As a result, IFT has a strong relationship with its professional colleagues in China. Additionally, Stone co-founded the IFT Sensory & Consumer Sciences Division. His enthusiasm and dedication to the profession have raised the image and importance of food science around the world. Stone joined IFT as a student in 1954 was elected an IFT Fellow in 1984.

Elizabeth Fleming Stier Award: Fatemeh Malekian
$3,000 honorarium from the New York Section and a plaque from IFT

Fatemeh Malekian, Associate Professor, Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center and adjunct faculty at Louisiana State University, received the 2011 Elizabeth Fleming Stier Award for pursuit of humanitarian ideals and unselfish dedication resulting in significant contributions to the well-being of the food industry, academia, students, or the general public.

Malekian has committed her professional career to making changes in people’s attitudes toward living healthier lives regardless of race, age, culture, gender and socioeconomic background. Her research focuses on product development, chemical analysis of foods, stability, processing, packaging, and food safety. She spreads her message of good nutrition, health, and food safety through presentations, seminars, workshops, and media. Malekian provides training and leadership support for extension professionals and paraprofessionals and other individuals throughout Louisiana. Malekian’s influence is not confined to Louisiana alone; she has been an invited participant in nutrition and food safety programs in Armenia, Kenya, and Malawi. In addition to educating people about nutrition and health, Malekian has directed a project in the greater Baton Rouge, La., area where she developed a dietary assessment and intervention food questionnaire and conducted focus groups, nutrition education, and exercise classes for those displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Tags: achievement awards, Annual Meeting, Top Story
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Prestigious Speakers Offer Unique Perspectives on Food Science

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

by Toni Tarver

New this year at the IFT Annual Meeting is the Beacon Lecturer series. Two sessions will be led by two prestigious individuals who use their extensive experience and knowledge to dispense provocative opinions and cutting-edge strategies in the fields of science and technology. The two presenters for the Beacon Lecture Series are Patrick Wall and Regina M. Benjamin.

Patrick Wall is world-renowned for his contributions to consumer protection and food safety. Wall will be speaking on Sunday, June 12 at 4 p.m. He is an associate professor at the University College Dublin’s School of Public Health and Population Sciences. In addition to his professorial duties, Wall is the leader of a significant research project on the best approaches to risk and benefit communication within the European Union. Also, he is Chairman of the Advisory Body for the Delivery of Official Controls at the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency and is trained as both a veterinary surgeon and a medical doctor. Wall’s research covers foodborne illnesses and other diseases related to consumer behavior or lifestyle choices.

Regina M. Benjamin is the Surgeon General of the United States. Benjamin will be speaking on Monday, June 13 at 4 p.m. In her capacity as Surgeon General, she provides science-based wisdom on the best ways to improve the health of U.S. citizens and directs 6,500 uniformed health officers serving in global locations, working to accomplish the same. Prior to accepting her current post, Benjamin was Associate Dean at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and Chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States. She founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in 1990 to provide much-needed medical services to an underserved rural fishing village and was the first physician under the age of 40 to be elected to the board of trustees of the American Medical Association. In 2002, she was appointed President of the State of Alabama Medical Association, making her the first black female president of a state medical society in the United States.

Dr. Benjamin has frequently referred to the preventable illnesses that have plagued her family, including the death of her father from complications due to diabetes and high blood pressure. “I cannot change my family’s past, but I can be a voice to improve our nation’s health for the future,” she has said. Benjamin has thus placed great emphasis on the importance of healthy dietary options as the solution to health problems linked to poor diets and overconsumption.

Both speakers will offer different perspectives on food and health, perhaps contradicting the opinions and philosophies of food scientists and technologists. Opposing viewpoints are part of what makes these lectures alluring and provocative.

Tags: Annual Meeting, food safety, health, surgeon general, Top Story
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Analyzing the Safety of Seafood Following the Gulf Oil Spill

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

Due to the size and persistence of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the methods for testing the safety of the affected seafood were inadequate and new protocols had to be designed on-the-fly, according to presenters at a Saturday morning IFT Pre-Annual Meeting Short Course on Evaluating the Safety of Gulf Seafood: Programs and Analytical Techniques in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Spill.

Steven Wilson demonstrates sensory testing of seafood at the Pascagoula laboratory.

Steven Wilson, Chief Quality Officer of the Seafood Inspection Program for the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, discussed Management Decisions for Sensory Analysis in an Emergency Environment. Scientists want to collect data, analyze it, and collect more data to get a total picture, said Wilson. In contrast, food safety professionals have to make “yes” or “no” decisions with some level of risk. The latter mindset was critical in establishing protocol for reopening areas for fishing and seafood harvesting following the gulf oil spill.

Sensory analysis became the standard test for reopening various areas; chemical analyses were also employed. At one point, nearly 40% of the Gulf of Mexico was closed to fishing, noted Wilson. Initially, the sampling program targeted 30 specifies of fish and shellfish. But it was quickly determined that the volume of samples would overwhelm the testing laboratory and sensory panelists. Instead, the sampling program focused on top, middle, and bottom feeders through the use of nets and line trawling. Protocols were developed for sample size, storage, and chain of custody.

The existing protocol called for wrapping a sample of the fish in aluminum foil on the fishing vessel and sending it to the laboratory in Pascagoula, Miss. But due to the hot temperatures in the region, many samples were showing up in the lab in a highly decomposed state. New protocols were put in place, treating the fish as if it were a commercial catch. Wilson told an amusing story of how one fishing vessel called to ask about how it should wrap a 300-lb bluefin tuna in foil.

Another challenge was training the sensory panelists. Due to the burning of the oil and the resulting odor and potential contamination in the area, it was decided that training should take place at a laboratory in Gloucester, Mass. The actual sensory testing was done at the laboratory in Pascagoula. Panelists analyzed for raw odor, cooked odor, and cooked flavor.

Samples were spiked with oil and dispersants as a QC check. This was done sparingly due to the limited availability of the seafood supply in the gulf. Even so, the testers went through about 6 million lbs of purchased seafood in two months.

It’s quite common in sensory analysis to blend samples. But this protocol was quickly abandoned with oysters as the product produced a near-gag reflex, explained Wilson.

Tags: Annual Meeting, food safety, oil spill, seafood, sensory analysis, Top Story
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Michael Specter to Defend Science

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

by Mary Ellen Kuhn

His book is titled Denialism, but there’s no denying that when New Yorker writer Michael Specter takes the stage during the Annual Meeting Keynote Session on Sunday morning, June 12, his presentation promises to be provocative.

A former New York Times correspondent, Specter writes frequently about science, technology, and public health. In his book, he argues that too many consumers are adopting anti-science attitudes, rejecting childhood vaccines and genetically modified foods, for example, while rushing to embrace organic foods, dietary supplements, and natural cures. Repudiating scientific inquiry—or embracing “denialism”—takes us down a dangerous path, Specter contends, and it gets in the way of global priorities like eliminating famine and preventing the spread of dangerous diseases.

The book’s subtitle—“How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives”—further clarifies Specter’s position. Americans’ mounting suspicion of science stems from a variety of causes, Specter theorizes. These include our poor grasp of history and the difficulty of accepting a reality that used to be taken for granted: that some risk is an inevitable accompaniment to progress.

In addition to his keynote address, Specter will participate in a panel discussion with leading food industry experts on the topic, “Delivering Food Science: Changing the Image of Food Science in the Marketplace.” Martin Cole, Chief of CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences, and Mary K. Wagner, Senior Vice President, Global Research & Development, Starbucks Coffee Co., will also take part in that discussion. Linda Eatherton, Partner, Director Global Food & Nutrition, Ketchum, will moderate the conversation.

The Keynote Session, which will take place Sunday from 8:30–10:15 a.m. in the La Nouvelle Ballroom of the Morial Convention Center, will also feature remarks by Executive Vice President Barbara Byrd Keenan, IFT President Bob Gravani, and Martha Rhodes Roberts, Chair, Feeding Tomorrow. A year-in-review video and presentation of the IFT Food Expo Awards are also on the agenda for Sunday morning. The session is sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association.

Tags: Annual Meeting, awards, food science, keynote, Top Story
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In the Spirit of New Orleans

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

by Donald E. Pszczola

Gumbo, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice, bananas foster, dishes smothered in hot sauce, and other examples of New Orleans fare help inspire the creation of many of the prototype foods and beverages served at the IFT Food Expo. Ingredient exhibitors use these prototypes not only to capture the local atmosphere, but also to demonstrate, in a number of creative ways, how their ingredients can address trends in flavor, texture, functionality, and better-for-you formulating.

Here are just a few products that represent what might be termed the “Changin’ Cajun” approach:

● A savory Cajun pot pie, developed by ADM, Booth 6539, incorporates the goodness of whole grains. The formulation, Multigrain Cajun Pot Pie, features a number of ingredients from the company’s portfolio, including Kansas Diamond® white whole-wheat flour, vegetable shortening, sorghum flour, Prolite® wheat gluten, VegeFull™ edible bean powder, soy protein concentrates, and xanthan gum.

● Sweet & savory prototypes from National Starch/Corn Products, Booth 6839 include Wild Mushroom Madeira Cream Sauce over Goat Cheese Grits. The sauce is made with Novation Prima functional native starch that delivers the freeze-thaw performance of modified starch with labeling benefits. Also served is a Chicken Andouille Gumbo made with Novation 8600 waxy rice functional native starch, also known for its freeze/thaw capabilities.

● A little voodoo is practiced by Edlong Flavors, Booth 6429, in the creation of better-for-you foods that taste as good as they are good for you. Products such as Voodoo Sweet Potato Biscuit with Saintly Sausage Gravy, NOLA Granola with fresh local fruit and sweet vanilla cream, and Bourbon Street Bananas Foster Smoothie, are made with the company’s dairy flavor line designed to address a range of challenges—from masking off notes to enhancing creamy mouthfeel in low-fat and non-dairy applications.

● Chicago meets New Orleans in this prototype—a Chicago Po’ Boy sandwich served in New Orleans style. Available from Bell Flavors, Booth 7829, this French Baguette is slathered with the company’s Cajun Feta Spread, generously topped with juicy Chicago-style Italian beef and finished with Giardiniera, an Italian condiment.

● Cajun flavors, such as jambalaya and shrimp etouffee, are highlighted by Gold Coast Ingredients, Booth 4629. Also shown are sweet treats that remind attendees of what being in New Orleans is all about. These flavors can help bring a little of the “Big Easy” back to the lab and help meet customer needs. Come by and get a taste of southern hospitality.

● Cajun-style creamy vegetable soup is served up by Cargill, Booth 6039. The prototype features the company’s natural dairy flavors and modified food starch (PolarTex®). This shelf –stable soup formula has 70% less fat, and delivers the desired flavor and texture consumers crave.

●Yeast extracts from Biorigin, Booth 6921, are applied to products with local Creole and Cajun flavors. In addition to enhancing the taste of foods, these ingredients reduce sodium levels in the final product. For example, an autolyzed yeast, Biotaste Meat, is launched. It provides a mild meat taste and toasted notes to a variety of dishes.

● Chef Adolfo Garcia, trend setter and owner of several New Orleans restaurants, demonstrates novel culinary creations at Symrise, Booth 5016. The chef will perform from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Sunday and from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday.

● Fruit and vegetable extracts are showcased by GNT USA, Booth 7039, in a variety of colorful formulations inspired by New Orleans. These include Cajun-seasoned savory snacks and multi-color parfaits.

● Tabasco® brand Buffalo Style Hot Sauce is the most recent addition to a line of pepper sauce flavors from McIlhenny Co., Booth 8239. The thick, balanced sauce incorporates red cayenne pepper, salt, water, distilled vinegar, and garlic to a number of dishes, including pizza, sandwiches, burgers, barbecue, meats, and, of course, wings. A hot flavor to introduce in New Orleans.

Tags: Food Expo, prototypes, savory, Top Story
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Stay Ahead by Looking Down

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

by Kelly Hensel

Keeping your head down while on the Food Expo floor usually only leads to accidents. However, at the 2011 Food Expo you are going to want to make sure you keep an eye out for the yellow What’s New! logo on the floor next to exhibitors’ booths. IFT launched the What’s New! program to help make it easier for you to locate the companies bringing the hottest new products and innovations to the Food Expo.

Hundreds of new products will be identified with the sticker on the floor and you can also find them on IFT’s new mobile app. We also encourage attendees to use the mobile app to vote for what you consider the best new products/services introduced this year. Also, you may have noticed that IFT Live has a nifty new feature area on its homepage highlighting these great innovations. Needless to say, please be careful while you are on the Food Expo floor hunting down the latest and greatest … we don’t want your Expo experience to be marred by a sprained ankle!

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New This Year

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

by Kelly Hensel

The 2011 Annual Meeting & Food Expo^® offers some exciting new features for attendees.

Knowledge Center: An IFT resource that will be conveniently located in the lobby of the convention center. The Knowledge Center will feature information detailing IFT educational opportunities. Staff members will be on hand to provide guidance and tips for building a personalized Scientific Program education plan. In addition, the Knowledge Center will offer Scientific Program listings broken out by track and core science topic, information on IFT groups of special interest, and guides to the Trend & Solution Tours of Food Expo exhibitors.

Beacon Lectures: 2011 marks the debut of a new Scientific Program feature—the Beacon Lectures. These sessions will bring two high-profile presenters to the Annual Meeting: Regina M. Benjamin, Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service, and Patrick Wall, Associate Professor of Public Health in University College Dublin’s School of Public Health and Population Sciences. As “America’s doctor,” Benjamin is charged with providing the public with the best scientific information available on improving health and wellness. Wall’s research interests include foodborne diseases, lifestyle-related diseases, and consumer behaviors that are damaging to health. The Beacon Lecturer presentations are scheduled for Sunday and Monday from 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

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Join IFT in New Orleans in 2011

Monday, July 26th, 2010

If you thought that last year’s Annual Meeting & Food Expo was exciting, then be sure to join us this year, June 11-14, when we return to New Orleans, Louisiana.

World-class cuisine, lively music, and warm hospitality make New Orleans one of IFT’s favorite host cities to visit. Combine that with in-depth, practical scientific education; a food expo showcasing suppliers from around the world; innumerable opportunities to forge new professional relationships, and much more, the 2011 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo is an event you won’t want to miss.

Tags: Annual Meeting, Food Expo, New Orleans, Top Story
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IFT10 Tops 21,000 Registrants

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

As this year’s IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo® in Chicago, Ill. draws to a close on Tuesday, July 20, it is obvious from the crowds that roamed the 230,000 net sq ft at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center and the packed Scientific Sessions that the show was one of the biggest and the best in recent years. In all, over 21,500 food professionals (as of 2 p.m. on July 20) attended the 2010 meeting to learn and share the latest innovations in food science and technology. In addition, the IFT Food Expo was sold out with over 1,000 companies exhibiting in more than 2,100 booths.

We hope that you will join us again next year, when the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo® is held in New Orleans, La., June 11–14. In the meantime, if you missed anything at this year’s event, be sure to check out the coverage on IFTLive!

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Changing the Conversation About Processed Foods

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

by Mary Ellen Kuhn

As most members of the processed food industry would no doubt agree, the industry has a great story to tell but frequently is saddled with responding defensively to a steady stream of misperceptions and miscommunication about the role of processed foods in the American diet. In a session titled “Communicating the Contributions of Processed Foods and Addressing Public Perceptions” on Tuesday morning, July 20, at McCormick Place, four speakers shared their perspectives on the topic.

John Floros, Past President of IFT and Professor and Head of the Dept. of Food Science at Pennsylvania State University, set the stage for the discussion with presentation that highlighted key points from IFT’s recently released white paper, “Feeding the World Today and Tomorrow: The Importance of Food Science & Technology.”

“Obesity is an epidemic today, but it’s not the only problem we’re facing,” said Floros. “People are looking for more diverse foods. Patterns of consumption are changing. Market conditions are growing. The population is growing, but our natural resources are very, very limited.”

Meanwhile, he pointed out, “There’s a lot of negative publicity about our food system, and particularly food science and technology. The white paper came about after an IFT task force was convened with the purpose of addressing the issue. The report begins with an historical perspective on of the food system, moves into an examination of the modern food system, and, in its concluding section, takes a look at technologies for the addressing future food supply needs,” Floros explained.

“The food system of tomorrow … needs to be science- and technology-based,” said Floros. In addition, he observed, it needs to be consumer driven, assure the health and wellness of consumers, preserve the environment and natural resources, and be sustainable.

The session’s next speaker, Tom Nagle of Statler Nagle LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, offered a provocative prescription for improving the food industry’s image. It’s a mistake to simply respond defensively to the assault the industry endures from activists and media representatives, he contended. Instead the food industry should work to communicate a message that addresses consumers’ “higher-level” concerns, which tend to focus more generally on issues such as longevity/wellness and weight/health.

“So much of what the food industry is talking about is ‘here’s the way in which our food won’t hurt you,’” Nagle said. “We need to move ourselves up the benefit ladder to higher level benefits.”

A third speaker in the session, Victor Fulgoni, Senior Vice President of Nutrition Impact LLC, Battle Creek, Mich., presented an analysis of the contributions processed fruits and vegetables make to the diet based NHANES data from 2003 to 2006.

Processed fruits and vegetables provide about one-third of dietary fiber intake, one quarter of vitamin A, one half of vitamin C, and about 45% of potassium, Fulgoni said.

The final speaker in the session, David Schmidt, President and CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC), shared insights gleaned from some of the organization’s research projects. IFIC worked with a firm to come up with four positive messages about the food supply and found that after consumers were educated about these positive messages, their perceptions of processed foods were substantially more positive than prior to the educational initiative.

IFIC is working now on a communication tool kit designed to help disseminate positive messages about the food industry, Schmidt said.

Tags: Annual Meeting, food supply, processed foods, Top Story
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Record Numbers at 10th Annual Fun Run

Monday, July 19th, 2010

by Kelly Frederick

The recent heat wave didn’t deter the 600 people that registered to take part in Feeding Tomorrow’s 10th Annual Fun Run on Monday, July 19 at Grant Park in Chicago, Ill. That’s the highest number of registrants in the event’s history. In total, participants raised over $75,000, once again a record high, for Feeding Tomorrow scholarships. Among the runners, Cornell University had the largest team, and with the name Food Fighters they were a force to be reckoned with. The Food Fighters team included IFT President-Elect Bob Gravani. Also in attendance was Bruce Ferree, California Natural Products, who raised the most money for a single person—over $2,000. Just for participating, all runners received a t-shirt and goody bag that included over 25 products.

The race got off to a great start at 6:30 a.m. and at the end of the 3.1 miles it was clear that many were taking the “fun” run very seriously. The top three men and women runners were as follows:

Men
• Chris Charles, with a time of 15:52 (at left in photo)
• Albert Matheny, with a time of 16:35 (right in photo)
• Javin Ramos, with a time of 18:17

Women
• Sarah Muhlbradt, with a time of 18:51 (at left in photo)
• Catherine Lee, with a time of 19:59 (right in photo)
• Christy Spackman, with a time of 20:55

The complete list of runners and their times can be found here.

The IFTSA and Feeding Tomorrow gratefully acknowledge the Fun Run event sponsors:

Platinum: Chicago Section IFT, Danisco, D.D. Williamson, General Mills, Michael Foods,
Southern California Section IFT

Gold: David Michael, Del Monte, GNT, Mars Botanical, National Starch Food Innovation, PepsiCo

Silver: Coca-Cola, Starbucks

Bronze: IFT Food Engineering Division, IFT Food Laws and Regulations Division, IFT Foodservice Division, Hershey, Kraft Foods, Oregon Section IFT, Maryland Section IFT, Richmond Baking, Western New York Section IFT

The Fun Run bags were generously donated by TIC Gums.

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Daniel Pink Dissects Motivation Science

Sunday, July 18th, 2010

by Mary Ellen Kuhn

On matters of motivation, there’s a mismatch between what science knows and what business does, contended Annual Meeting & Food Expo Keynote Session speaker Daniel Pink, who addressed a capacity crowd in McCormick Place South on Sunday morning, July 18.

Pink shared statistics from behavioral science studies to support his contention that when it comes to what motivates employees, management often has it all wrong. Scientific studies have shown that if you want people to solve relatively simple straightforward problems, then financial incentives work pretty well, Pink said. However, for problems and solutions that require higher level cognitive skills, more complex behavioral motivators come into play.

Pink shared three fundamental motivators of performance—autonomy, mastery, purpose—and offered suggestions on how to apply them in the workplace.

Autonomy. People crave control over their time and their tasks. “When people have autonomy over those sorts of things, they end up performing at a higher level,” Pink said.

To support his theories, Pink cited a study comparing commissioned and noncommissioned work by artists. The study demonstrated that while the technical expertise was equal for both types of work, the creative achievement of the noncommissioned work was far superior to that of the commissioned projects. Interestingly, however, artists who received commissions that were “enabling” rather than closely controlled also produced works of substantial creative merit.

Also, Pink shared an example of an Australian software company in which creative output was increased substantially when employees were allowed to devote 10% to 20% of their time to projects of their choice. At Google, a similar scenario allowing employees to spend 20% of their work hours to projects of their own preference has led to noteworthy innovations such as Google News and Gmail, Pink said.

He recommended that companies move gradually toward enabling autonomy in the workplace. For example, it might work to try a three-month experiment in which a team of selected staff members are invited to devote 10% of their time to autonomous projects.

Mastery. The desire to “get better at stuff” is “a profoundly powerful motivator in the workplace, and one that is routinely ignored,” Pink continued.

Supporting this contention, he cited a study of more than 11,000 scientists and engineers from around the world. The study linked the scientists’ patent output with a variety of motivators and found that the best predictor of patent output was “the desire for intellectual challenge.”

Another study found that the single biggest motivator for employees on a given day in the workplace was the desire to “make progress in one’s work.” Bearing this in mind, said Pink, management might consider recasting some of its conventional tools such as annual performance reviews. What works better are do-it-yourself performance reviews in which employees set their own shorter-term goals and conduct their own assessments.

Purpose. Lastly, Pink explained the concept of purpose as “the idea that what you do should be connected to something larger than yourself.”

It’s a mistake for businesses to overemphasize financial incentives at the expense of providing meaningful, purposeful work, he explained. “When the profit motive comes unmoored from the purpose motive, bad things happen,” said Pink. Conversely, “When you combine the profit motive with the purpose motive, great things can happen.”

As his talk came to a close, Pink offered this advice: “Don’t treat people like donkeys, enticing them with a carrot and a stick. Treat them like human beings.”

Pink, a consultant and frequent media contributor, is the author of several bestselling books about the changing world of work.

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IFT Honors Innovations on Food Expo Floor

Sunday, July 18th, 2010

At Sunday morning’s keynote session of the 2010 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo^®, incoming IFT President Bob Gravani and President-Elect Roger Clemens announced and presented five companies with the 2010 IFT Food Expo Innovation Awards. The winners are Bühler Barth AG and Log5 Corporation (co-recipients), Bunge North America, Caravan Ingredients, and Handary SA.

“Now in its fourth year, the Food Expo Innovation Awards are a showcase of the ongoing ingenuity in our food science and technology profession and, in some cases, the results of the collaborative work among industry, academia, and government,” said Clemens.

A panel of nine jurors from industry and government with broad expertise in research & product development, processing & packaging technology, and food safety selected the five companies and their innovations from 56 qualified entries. Only companies exhibiting at the 2010 IFT Food Expo in Chicago were eligible. Judging criteria included degree of innovation, technical advancement, benefits to food manufacturers and consumers, and scientific merit.

Co-recipients Bühler Barth AG and Log5 Corporation (Booth 6616) garnered the 2010 IFT Food Expo Innovation Award for their Controlled Condensation Process Pasteurization Technology, which pasteurizes low-water-activity foods, such as tree nuts, peanuts, spices, and grains, and preserves the natural quality of the food. The technology maintains thermal equilibrium conditions by controlling pressure, temperature, surface condensation, and moisture levels. “Food safety is paramount, and new technologies like this will make our food supply safer,” noted a juror.

Bunge North America (Booth 4047) won the award for its Phytobake Shortening with Phytosterols. The functional shortening for bakery applications enables the dilution of the amount of traditional hard fat or saturates and trans fats used in the plastic shortenings by up to 46%. Bakers using this ingredient can produce healthier sweet goods, such as cookies, pie crusts, and cakes. “Though phytosterol-enhanced foods have not been very popular with consumers, an ingredient like this expands application and may help bring the ingredient the attention it deserves,” declared a juror.

Caravan Ingredients (Booth 3823) was honored for its Trancendim Emulsifiers for Zero Trans Shortening—a zero trans, reduced saturated fat alternative for structuring fats and oils that mimics or improves the melting behavior of common fat-based products. Applications include salad dressings, frying oils, margarines, and bakery products. Users can create better-for-you products without sacrificing taste or mouthfeel. “Trans fat replacement is still a tough food science challenge in some products, and this innovation is an interesting application of technology to address this ongoing consumer need,” stated a juror.

Handary SA (Booth 6341) captured the 2010 IFT Food Expo Innovation Award for its NisinA Natural Antimicrobial Agent, a vegetable-based natural product that can improve food safety by controlling foodborne pathogens, such as Clostridium botulinum, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus. It also extends the shelf life of foods by controlling lactic acid bacteria and prevents the formation of bacteria due to high temperatures. “With increased focus on food safety and refrigerated food products, NisinA provides benefit to a large scope of applications as a versatile, heat-stable natural antimicrobial,” observed a juror.

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R. Paul Singh Receives Appert Award

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

by Kelly Frederick

R. Paul Singh receives IFT's highest honor, the Nicholas Appert Award R. Paul Singh, Distinguished Professor of Food Engineering, University of California, was honored as the recipient of the 2010 Nicholas Appert Award on Saturday, July 17, at the Awards Celebration. Marianne Gillette, IFT President, presented Singh with the award, which is IFT’s highest honor and is given annually to an IFT member for preeminence in and contributions to the field of food science and technology. The award includes a $5,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT received the 2010 Nicholas Appert Award, which recognizes an individual for preeminence in and contributions to the field of food science and technology.

Singh’s research record spans a lifetime career in advancing the application of mathematical techniques for quantitative understanding of physical changes important in food processing. Results of Singh’s research have been readily transferred from his laboratory to a wide range of applications in the food industry, including computer software linked to industrial freezers for improving energy efficiency, and improved biosensors for use in monitoring quality in food distribution. He has helped establish and evaluate food engineering programs at universities in South America, Central America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S. and he has published a food science education textbook in four languages.

2010 IFT Achievement Awards

In addition to presenting Singh with the Nicholas Appert Award, IFT recognized 13 other achievements on at the Awards Celebration. Descriptions of the awards can be found on the IFT Web site at ift.org.

Research and Development Award: C. Patrick Dunne, Douglas Hahn, Kenny Lum, Juming Tang, and Evan Turek, representing the Washington State University Microwave Sterilization Consortium
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Five representatives of the Washington State University Microwave Sterilization Consortium, Juming Tang, project lead, Washington State University; C. Patrick Dunne, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center; Douglas Hahn from Hormel Foods Corp.; Kenny Lum from Seafood Products Association; and Evan Turek from Kraft Foods Inc., received the 2010 IFT Research and Development Award for their contributions to food technology that result in foods of improved quality and nutrition. The consortium also includes The Ferrite Company, Rexam PLC, Graphic Packaging and Ocean Beauty Seafoods, LLC.

The team represents a collaborative effort of academia, industry, and the U.S. Army to develop a microwave sterilization process for pre-packaged, low-acid foods that was accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as of October 2009. More than 40 research scientists, engineers, and graduate students participated in different phases of the research since the consortium was formed ten years ago with financial support from the Department of Defense Dual Use Science and Technology Program and contributions from food industry partners. Through the development of a semi-continuous, single-mode, 915 MHz microwave system, the sterilization process was dramatically shortened thereby providing significant improvements to food quality.

Samuel Cate Prescott Award: Mario Ferruzzi
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Mario Ferruzzi, Associate Professor, Purdue University, received the 2010 Samuel Cate Prescott Award for outstanding ability in food science research. The recipient of this award must be less than 36 years of age or have received his or her highest degree within the previous 10 years.

Ferruzzi has built a fundamental research program focused on understanding the impact of the food matrix and processing on phytochemical bioavailability and metabolism, which has direct implication to the design and development of functional food ingredient systems and products. Ferruzzi has received research grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Research Initiative, National Institutes of Health and the food industry to investigate how interactions between macronutrients, micronutrients and phytochemicals impact digestive behavior, intestinal absorption and metabolism of carotenoids and polyphenols from foods. Results of these projects continue to provide insight into how formulation factors can optimize absorption of health promoting phytochemicals. In addition, Ferruzzi’s ongoing work on IFT food-related education and food science outreach activities is also making an impact in education and the food industry.

Bernard L. Oser Food Ingredient Safety Award: Barbara Petersen
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from the Bernard L. Oser Endowment Fund of the IFT Foundation

Barbara Petersen, Principal Scientist, Exponent, received the 2010 Bernard L. Oser Food Ingredient Safety Award for her expertise in exposure assessment methodology, functional food safety and efficacy evaluations, food consumption profile modeling, and applications of Monte Carlo techniques to risk assessments for chemicals including contaminants, pesticides, and nutrients.

Petersen’s groundbreaking work in establishing methodologies for exposure assessment is now used worldwide by food safety organizations and authorities. She also designed the Tolerance Assessment System for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use in evaluating pesticides. Petersen has made significant contributions to food toxicology issues within IFT, organizing more than a dozen workshops and symposia as part of her active involvement with the Toxicology and Food Safety Evaluation Division. She recently served as Editor of the IFT Expert Report, Functional Foods: Opportunities and Challenges, and as Subject Expert for IFT’s participation in the CODEX General Principles meeting.

William V. Cruess Award: Allen Foegeding
$3,000 honorarium from IFT and a bronze medal from the Northern California Section of IFT

Allen Foegeding, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, North Carolina State University, received the 2010 William V. Cruess Award for excellence in teaching food science and technology.

Foegeding has served as a mentor for students at every step of their education process, leading courses which are designed to appeal to a wide variety of learning styles. Foegeding uses novel teaching methods to nurture his students’ analytical abilities, training them to critically assess published materials and helping them to improve their evaluation skills. His multidisciplinary approach ensures that his students are well-rounded, critical thinkers. Foegeding has also served as a leader for his department’s college bowl teams, which have won multiple national championships. His leadership extends beyond the classroom, as well; he has been instrumental in developing the current IFT Education Standards for Degrees in Food Science, and chaired the Committee on Higher Education during the implementation of these standards.

Carl R. Fellers Award: Anthony W. Kotula
$3,000 honorarium from Phi Tau Sigma Honorary Society and a plaque from IFT

Anthony W. Kotula, Supervisory Research Food Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture (retired) received the 2010 Carl R. Fellers Award for service to the field of Food Science and Technology and for bringing honor to the profession.

Kotula worked for 38 years with the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Md. For 25 of those years he was the Research Leader of the Meat Science Research Laboratory. Prior to joining the USDA, Kotula served as Supply Officer of the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, U.S. Air Force, at Kimpo Air Base, in Korea. Upon being honorably separated from active duty, he studied under the direction of Dr. Carl R. Fellers for his Master of Science Degree.

Kotula has shown dedication to the food industry by performing and overseeing research encompassing the safety and quality of poultry and red meats. His research on many occasions has been used as a basis for modifying and promulgating the federal food regulations in use today. Kotula has fostered collaborations between the food industry and universities across the U.S. and countries around the world, as well as contributing to the establishment of a food science program at Florida A&M University.

Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award: ConAgra Foods
A plaque from IFT

ConAgra Foods received the 2010 Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award for its Healthy Choice Café Steamers Package and Product Platform.

Leveraging its understanding of the science behind microwave cooking, product formulation, and meal packaging and design, ConAgra’s Healthy Choice Café Steamers represent a significant improvement in frozen meal preparation and quality. Using an innovative package with a specially designed internal basket, the Healthy Choice Café Steamers package optimizes product quality and microwave heating consistency by separating the liquid sauce from frozen ingredients, improving the generation and use of steam. The first two years of the product’s availability in the market also translated to a contribution of 70.6 million servings of vegetables to the American diet.

Bor S. Luh International Award: Syed S.H. Rizvi
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from the Bor S. Luh Endowment Fund of the IFT Foundation

Syed S.H. Rizvi, International Professor, Cornell University, is the recipient of the 2010 Bor S. Luh International Award for his dedication to practicing and articulating the role of food processing and engineering in global economic development.

As a Jefferson Science Fellow in the U.S. Department of State, Rizvi has actively assisted the U.S. Trade and Development Agency in engaging small and medium-size enterprises in developing countries to facilitate partnerships with U.S.-based food processing companies to minimize food losses and create affordable, value-added products in countries such as India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. He has also worked with the International Division of IFT to create symposia and panel discussions on food processing, fortification, and international business partnerships.

As an educator, Rizvi also teaches parts of international development courses which give students a chance to experience first-hand the challenges of establishing food businesses in rapidly developing nations through an intensive three-week field trip to India. He has also played a leadership role in establishing Cornell University’s joint food science graduate degree with an international university (India’s Tamil Nadu Agricultural University) to increase the global perspective of a new generation of food scientists and engineers.

Babcock-Hart Award: Levente Diosady
$3,000 honorarium from the International Life Sciences Institute North America and a plaque from IFT

Levente Diosady, Professor, University of Toronto, Canada, received the 2010 Babcock-Hart Award for innovative food engineering technologies, which have improved public health through nutrition, especially in developing countries.

Diosady’s interest in applying the principles of chemical engineering and food chemistry to the large scale processing of food has resulted in improved processes of edible oil refining, vegetable protein extraction, and nitrite-free meat curing systems. For the past 15 years, Diosady has been active in developing techniques to fortify staple foods such as salt, sugar, and rice with micronutrients to combat vitamin and mineral deficiencies in populations where illnesses associated with a lack of these micronutrients are prevalent. He has focused on cost-effective solutions to micronutrient deficiencies, which can be maintained by local governments and manufacturers to combat these health problems. In keeping with his support of healthy populations worldwide, Diosady helped establish the Center for Global Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Toronto.

Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service Award: Margaret Lawson
$3,000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT

Margaret Lawson, Vice President of Science and Innovation, D.D. Williamson & Co. Inc., received the 2010 Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service Award for meritorious and imaginative service to IFT.

From her earliest involvement as a student member, Margaret Lawson has been an IFT leader, serving as IFT President (2005–2006) and volunteering for numerous roles on National, Division, and Section levels. She has been a global ambassador for IFT, meeting with food scientists in Japan, Cuba, China, Uruguay and Mexico to strengthen IFT’s alliances with food science organizations in these countries. During her IFT presidency, Lawson focused on making IFT a global source of sound science and encouraged a diversity of voices within the organization. Lawson’s wide range of experience and her enthusiasm for the field of food science has made her a dynamic communicator and a champion of the profession worldwide.

Stephen S. Chang Award for Lipid or Flavor Science: Cameron Faustman
$3,000 honorarium and a Steuben crystal sculpture from the Stephen S. Chang Endowment Trust Fund supported by the Taiwan Food Industries

Cameron Faustman, Professor, University of Connecticut, is the recipient of the 2010 Stephen S. Chang Award for Lipid or Flavor Science for significant contributions to lipid or flavor science.

During his career, Faustman has focused his research on the fundamental basis for interactions between lipid oxidation products and myoglobin in muscle foods, and their practical applications for the meat industry. This research has led to significant interest in the application of dietary supplementation of vitamin E for improving oxidative stability of lipids and for improving color stability of myoglobin in meat, which translates into increased shelf-life and better appearance for meat products. As a result of his research findings, Faustman has been one of the premier science communicators in the area of lipid chemistry, making him a frequent speaker at conferences on food chemistry, meat science, animal science, and biotechnology worldwide.

Marcel Loncin Research Prize: David Julian McClements
$50,000 paid in two annual installments and a plaque from the Marcel Loncin Endowment Fund of the IFT Foundation

David Julian McClements, Professor, University of Massachusetts, received the 2010 Marcel Loncin Research Prize, which provides research funding to a scientist or engineer conducting basic chemistry, physics, or engineering research applied to food processing and the improvement of food quality.

McClements’ proposed research will focus on developing food-grade delivery systems to encapsulate, protect, and release bioactive lipophilic components for incorporation into food products. Further, McClements will strive to develop guidelines for the food industry to facilitate the rational design and fabrication of delivery systems for bioactive food ingredients. These delivery systems could enable the creation of functional foods designed to maintain health and wellness. Over the course of the research project, he will help young scientists to develop their skills through mentorship and exposure to the health and wellness field.

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IFT Cares Volunteers Pitch in at Food Depository

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

by Mary Ellen Kuhn

For the third consecutive year, a group of IFT members began their Annual Meeting & Food Expo experience showing lots of heart—and some muscle, too—as volunteers for the IFT Cares philanthropic initiative.

This year, the program, which IFT organizes annually in cooperation with the national anti-hunger organization Feeding America, has three groups of volunteers working several-hour shifts at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, an affiliate of Feeding America. On Saturday, July 17, two groups traveled to the food depository, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. A third group will help out on Wednesday morning.

On Saturday morning, the volunteers worked on an assembly line packing emergency food boxes designed to feed a family of five for three days. All together, the group packed 720 cases of food, which translates to 18 pallets or 23,040 pounds! In the afternoon session, IFT Cares volunteers repackaged 4,000 pounds of bread, buns, and bagels.

“It’s a great way to spend a Saturday morning,” said IFT Board of Directors Member Bruce Stillings, a first-time IFT Cares participant.

IFT Student Association (IFTSA) members were well represented in the group of Saturday morning volunteers, something that Professional Member Faye Dong, Head of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a three-time IFT Cares volunteer, was happy to see.

“I am very pleased that there is so much student support,” said Dong. “If it encourages students to go back home and volunteer with their student clubs, that would be great.”

That’s exactly what Arin Stieringer-Roos, incoming President of the student Food Science Society at California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, hopes to see happen. The club has recently increased its membership, and the students are interested in adding some philanthropic activities to their agenda, said Stieringer-Roos.

This year, the fee for students to participate was just $10—substanially lower than in the past, and that was a plus in promoting student involvement, said Matt Cael, Chair of the IFTSA Chapter Leaders Workshop and a graduate student at Louisiana State University. All of the student leaders who participated in the workshop were encouraged to participate in a community service activity—either through IFT Cares or at the fundraising Fun Run sponsored by IFTSA and Feeding Tomorrow, Cael said.

Several students on hand on Saturday morning said they viewed participation in IFT Cares not only as an opportunity to help out in the host city, but as a way of showing support for IFT.

Louisiana State University student Adriana Soto said the volunteer experience was meaningful to her because she was a recipient of a Feeding Tomorrow scholarship this year. “So it’s a way to give back,” she said.

Esther Bushway, wife of University of Maine Food Science Professor Alfred Bushway, first volunteered with IFT Cares when the philanthropic program was launched in 2008 in New Orleans and followed that up by participating last year in Anaheim. This year, she was pleased that her husband’s schedule allowed him to join her. “I think it’s very worthwhile, especially in this economy,” Alfred Bushway observed.

The Greater Chicago Food Depository distributes 58 million pounds of food annually to Chicago area pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters. Nearly 678,000 hungry people were served over the course of a year.
This year all three IFT Cares volunteer time slots have sold out, reports IFT Cares staff organizer Kelley Ahuja.

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Keynoter to Share Surprising Insights Into the Science of Motivation

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

by Mary Ellen Kuhn

Fascinating, persuasive, visionary—words like these are frequently bandied about by reviewers describing the work of bestselling author and IFT Annual Meeting keynote speaker Daniel Pink. Pink will address the Keynote Session audience in a presentation titled “Drive—What the Science of Motivation Can Teach You About High Performance,” which begins at 8:45 a.m. Sunday, July 18, in the Grand Ballroom S100, McCormick Place South.

Pink’s IFT presentation is based on insights he gained while researching his latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. “What the science of motivation teaches us about our businesses and how we should run them is very different from what many businesses typically do,” says Pink.

For one thing, he says that business leaders today rely far too heavily on “carrot and stick motivators.” According to Pink, such motivators can be effective “but only in a narrow band of circumstances.” What really matters to employees, particularly those engaged in creative tasks, says Pink, are three things: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

“We’ll be talking about the science of motivation and using that to yield some tools, tips, and exercises to run your business smarter and better,” he says. The keynoter will also demonstrate how many common organizational incentives backfire, reducing both creativity and job satisfaction.

A former chief speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore, Pink is also the author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, a long-running New York Times bestseller that has been translated into 23 languages.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of the most provocative voices on the changing world of work.

The Keynote Session is sponsored by SweetSurprise.

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Welcome to Chicago

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Take the words of Chicago visionary Daniel Burnham to heart as you think about how to spend your time in this world-class city: “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood.”

Chicago’s great magic lies in its mix: sophisticated yet friendly, bustling city streets adjacent to long stretches of green parks and sparkling blue Lake Michigan, and a stunning year-round array of things to see and do unique in all the world.

Newcomers usually notice the architecture first. In this city where the skyscraper was born, city streets wind through urban canyons, shaped by the world’s leading architects, and into diverse neighborhoods, each with its own fascinating flavor.

Chicago is more walkable than most global cities, and visitors of all ages enjoy the proximity of such attractions as Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Lincoln Park Zoo, Museum of Science and Industry, Art Institute of Chicago and other treasures.

The city’s explosive performance art scene delivers audience-thrilling theater, music, and dance in historic venues downtown and throughout neighborhoods.

Remarkable shopping opportunities in Chicago’s renowned department stores, upscale and trendy neighborhood boutiques, galleries, and specialty shops will satisfy your quest for a special memento or all-out retail therapy.

And when you’re ready to recharge, the city’s endless assortment of restaurants and nightlife is ready to match every taste, budget, and mood.

Come and discover why so many visitors fall in love with the city every year. For more information on all that Chicago has to offer, visit www.choosechicago.com/meetinchicago.

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Weight Management: WILD Flavors Inc.

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

posted on June 9, 2009

WILD Flavors Inc., Booth 1301

Trend: Weight Management
Product: Weight Management Lollipops
Commercialized: 2009

WILD Flavors’ Satiety Lollipop targets multiple aspects of weight management. It contains 2 g of fiber per lollipop. Fiber has excellent water-binding properties that helps curb appetite and promote satiety. Green tea catechins, specifically EGCG, have been shown to have a thermogenic effect on the body, causing an increase in metabolism. The green tea catechins used in this lollipop are available only from WILD Flavors, Inc. The catechins and EGCG have been extracted from high quality green tea using proprietary technology to remove some of the unpleasant tea notes and bitterness. The chromium used is an essential trace mineral that helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels and assists the body in processing fats and proteins. This lollipop is sweetened with isomalt, a sugar alcohol, and OnlySweet™ Stevia, a natural high intensity sweetener mixed with WILD Sweet Modifiers to improve the sweetness profile. With only 20 calories per serving, WILD natural flavors, WILD natural colors, and no allergens, this is a delicious, satisfying treat for anyone trying to control their weight!