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The Institute of Food Technologists or IFT is an international, non-profit professional organization for the advancement of food science and technology. It is the largest food science organization in the world, encompassing almost 18,000 members worldwide as of 2012. It is referred to as "THE Society of Food Science and Technology." Its current president is Roger Clemens of E.T. Horn Company.

IFT Today
Envision what the very best minds in food science can achieve when they work together: providing each and every person on the planet with access to a safe and abundant food supply. For more than 70 years, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has been unlocking the potential of the food science community by creating a dynamic global forum where members from more than 100 countries can share, learn, and grow. We’ve helped the members of this community connect both in person, through scientific and technical education venues and forums such as the world’s largest annual food expo, and virtually, through our publications and other resources. By serving as a leading advocate for food science and a catalyst for change around the world, we’ve educated the media and policy makers and worked with governments to shape regulations. As a visionary organization, IFT is feeding the minds that feed the world.

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) exists to advance the science of food. Our long-range vision is to ensure a safe and abundant food supply contributing to healthier people everywhere. We strive to provide an inclusive and welcoming community for all food science and technology professionals and the knowledge and tools they need to enhance their professional capacity and competency. As an organization, IFT is focusing its work in four main areas, or “roles and goals.” Each is wide-reaching and helps to advance our mission.


 * Steward for the Profession and its Community - Provide learning, networking and leadership development experiences that enable food science and technology professionals to become leaders in the global food science community.


 * Research Champion and Innovation Catalyst - Champion emerging sciences and foster technology development, application and transfer to increase funding for food-related research and to support innovation in food science.


 * Influential Advocate and Trusted Spokesorganization - Engage in advocacy and communication efforts that enhance recognition of the profession and result in increased understanding and application of the science of food.


 * Global Citizen and Partner - Proactively contribute to, and be a partner for, the global advancement and application of the science of food.

IFT members are the common thread binding these roles and goals. Each program, service, and initiative that we undertake is knowledge-based, mission-driven, and addresses the needs of IFT members. Whether through networking opportunities, continuing education programs, or a desire to give back to the global scientific community and the profession, our focus on these roles and goals enhances our members’ abilities to enrich the world and to be enriched by their own experiences.

IFT Foundation
Feeding Tomorrow is the foundation of IFT, a community of donors committed to the vision of safe and abundant food for all. It promotes service, education, and research that advance global access to safe and nutritious food.

Our food system is driven by complex issues, from the globalization of markets to changing policy on energy and the environment. Meeting the needs of a diverse and growing global population with flavorful, nutritious, safe, and abundant food requires innovative solutions. Innovation requires dedicated professionals educated in the disciplines of food science and technology can, and will, meet these challenges to shape a healthier future. Building on a Strong Tradition As a charitable entity since 1985, Feeding Tomorrow has funded more than $10 million in food science programs. Feeding Tomorrow has distributed more than 4,000 scholarships to exceptional students pursuing undergraduate and graduate food science degrees, and invested more than $500,000 in research that brings credible food science-based information to policy makers, the media, and the general public. In partnership with Discovery Education®, Feeding Tomorrow brought food science resources to nearly 18,000 public high schools throughout the U.S. Now and in the future, Feeding Tomorrow aims to increase its charitable activities at home and abroad, always advocating for safe and nutritious food for all. We thank you for your help.

IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo
The largest gathering for IFT is the annual IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo. In 2011, the event was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. Approximately 15,000 people from 75 countries attended and over 1000 exhibitors presented. The 2010 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo was held at McCormick Place in Chicago.

IFT Publications
The Institute also has many publications that are both in print and online that are shown below:


 * Food Technology (1947) – IFT's monthly magazine available to all members. Besides the monthly columns dealing with food processing, food packaging, ingredients, laboratory, nutraceuticals, and consumer trends, it also focuses on in-depth issues such as biotechnology, food safety, and nutrition.
 * Journal of Food Science or JFS (Founded in 1936 as Food Research) – IFT's premier scientific journal dealing with all peer-reviewed aspects of food science (food chemistry, food microbiology, food engineering, food processing, food packaging, nutrition, and sensory evaluation. It annually publishes over 500 papers and 3000 pages with authors from 90 countries and readers from 50 countries internationally. The Library of Congress in 2004 put JFS as one of only 300 journals as a high priority ... (ISSN).

Both Food Technology and the Journal of Food Science can be accessed in print or online. Other publications are shown below:


 * The Journal of Food Science Education or JSFE (2002 – Online only) – This journal deals with innovations, techniques, and methods to improve education in food science and technology.
 * Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (2002 – Online only) – This journal, published online on a quarterly basis, deals with a broad review of a narrowly defined topic relating to food science and technology, including physiology, economics, history, nutrition, microbiology, engineering, processing, and genetics. All aspects of these reviews are studied, including strengths, weaknesses, and research differences in order to present insightful investigation, including interpretation, summary, and conclusion.
 * IFT Weekly Newsletter – A weekly e-mail newsletter sent out every Wednesday about issues within food industry, including food companies, food research, food regulations, and IFT itself.
 * Nutraceutical Newsletter – An e-mail newsletter similar to the IFT Weekly Newsletter though it deals specifically with nutraceuticals.
 * IFT Books – The Institute has four book publishers that offer membership discounts, including IFT Press (a partnership with Blackwell Publishing), Grey House Publishing, Marcel Dekker, and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., on food science and technology.
 * Annual Meeting Abstracts – These are abstracts from the IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo that can be accessed online or purchased in print.
 * Three annual buyers guides are also published: Food Technology Buyer's Guide, Nutraceutical Buyer's Guide, and Annual Guide to Food Industry Services. These are usually published as a supplement to Food Technology magazine.
 * IFT's website was overhauled on May 24, 2010.

Early History
As food technology grew from the individual family farm to the factory level, including the slaughterhouse for meat and poultry processing, the cannery for canned foods, and bakeries for bread, the need to have personnel trained for the food industry did also. Literature such as Upton Sinclair's The Jungle in 1906 about slaughterhouse operations would be a factor in the establishment of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later that year. The United States Department of Agriculture was also interested in food technology, and research was already being done at agricultural colleges in the United States, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of California, Berkeley. By 1935, two MIT professors, Samuel C. Prescott and Bernard E. Proctor decided that it was time to hold an international conference regarding this. A detailed proposal was presented to MIT President Karl Taylor Compton in 1936 was presented with $1500 of financial aid from MIT for a meeting to be held from June 30 to July 2, 1937 with Compton asking how many people would be in attendance at this meeting. Prescott replied with "fifty or sixty people." 500 people actually attended the event.

This meeting proved so successful that in early 1938 that a second conference would be held in 1939. Initially led by George J. Hucker of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (part of Cornell University) in Geneva, New York, a small group meeting was held on August 5, 1938 on forming an organization with an expanded group meeting in New York City on January 16, 1939 to further discuss this. The second conference was held at MIT June 29 to July 1, 1939 with Proctor as conference chair. 600 people attended this event. At the final session, the chairman of the session Fred C. Blanck of the United States Department of Agriculture, proposed that an organization be established as the Institute of Food Technologists. This was approved unanimously. Its first officers were Prescott as President, Roy C. Newton of Swift & Company in Chicago, Illinois as Vice President, and Hucker as Secretary-Treasurer. By 1949, IFT had 3,000 members.

IFT Growth
Regional sections were established in IFT as early as 1940 in northern California (San Francisco, Bakersfield, Sacramento). For the first ten years, IFT officers were President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. In 1949, IFT moved into offices in Chicago and created a permanent position of Executive Secretary to run daily organizational operations. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Charles S. Lawrence was named the first Executive Secretary, a position he would hold until 1961 when he was replaced by Calvert L. Willey. During Willey's term as Executive Director (Executive Secretary 1961–1966), IFT would grow from 6,000 members in 1961 to 23,000 members in 1987. Additionally, IFT Divisions were established in 1971 with the Refrigerated and Frozen Foods Division being the first. The IFT Student Division was established in 1975, and was reorganized in 1984 to be the IFT Student Association with the chairperson serving as a member of the IFT Board of Directors.

IFT Milestones

 * July 1, 1939 - The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is founded. Samuel C. Prescott is the first president.
 * June 25, 1950 - IFT is incorporated.
 * June 16-19, 1940 - The first IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo is held in Chicago. There are 25 exhibiting companies.
 * 1941 - The first regional Section, the Chicago Section IFT (formerly the Chicago group of Food Technologists) is recognized. IFT now has 53 sections.
 * 1942 - The first IFT award, the Nicholas Appert Award, is presented to William V. Cruess.
 * 1947 - The first issue of Food Technology is published.
 * 1949 - IFT hires its first full-time staff person and establishes its headquarters in Chicago.
 * 1950s - The first Employment Bureaus are offered in conjunction with the Annual Meeting.
 * 1951 - The first issue of the Journal of Food Science (formerly Food Research) is published.
 * 1954 - The first IFT fellowships are presented to John E. Shade and Harold C. Rich.
 * 1958 - IFT supplies a list of qualified IFT members to the FDA to comment and provide feedback on the safety and acceptability of certain food additives.
 * 1960 - The first IFT scholarships are established.
 * 1963 - IFT approves its first affiliate organization, the Chilean Society of Food Technology.
 * 1968 - IFT's first division, the Refrigerated and Frozen Food Division, is formed. IFT now has 27 divisions, plus the IFT Student Association.
 * 1971 - The first IFT Short Course, Fundamentals of Protein in Foods, is presented.
 * 1975 - The IFT Student Division is formed. In 1982, this Division becomes the IFT Student Association.
 * 1985 - The IFT Foundation is established.
 * November 2000 - The first IFT Global Food Safety & Quality Conference is hosted.
 * April 2002 - IFT first publishes the Journal of Food Science Education.
 * April 2002 - IFT first publishes Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety.
 * April 2004 - IFT publishes is first IFT Press book, Preharvest and Postharvest Food Safety: Contemporary Issues and Future Directions, in conjunction with Wiley Publishing (now Wiley-Blackwell).
 * June 2006 - The first IFT International Food Nanoscience Conference is hosted.
 * December 2006 - IFT hosts its first webcast educational event, Probiotics: Latest Applications and Trends
 * February 2008 - IFT holds its first Wellness Conference in Chicago.
 * December 2008 - IFT introduces its first online course, Food Science for the Non-Food Scientist.
 * June 2009 - In conjunction with the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology, IFT publishes the first Chinese issue of Food Technology magazine.
 * May 2010 - IFT introduces a new visual identity in conjunction with its new website launch.
 * July 2010 - At the 2010 Annual Meeting, IFT re-launches its foundation under a new name (Feeding Tomorrow) with an updated visual identity.

IFT Governance
Today there are a total of 25 divisions and 53 sections within IFT. The Executive Committee until July 2007 consisted of the main officers, six representatives elected by the IFT council, six representatives elected by the IFT membership, the Executive Vice President, and the chair of the student association. Since July 2007, it consists of a Board of Directors made up of the President, President-Elect, Immediate Past-President, Treasurer, and Executive Vice President along with twelve Board of Directors, four of which are elected each year to serve a three-year term. This change was approved by the IFT members in April 2007.

IFT Awards
IFT recognizes the many accomplishments that individuals and organizations have made to advance food science and the food industry and to help provide safe, affordable, and nutritious foods to the world. To honor these individuals and organizations, the IFT Awards Program was created. We grant awards, fellowships, and prizes for outstanding accomplishments in all areas of food science and technology, administering 14 Achievement Awards, the Marcel Loncin Research Prize, and the IFT Fellows program.

All IFT awards and the year they were first given are listed below.


 * Nicholas Appert Award (1942) – IFT's highest honor. Lifetime contributions to food technology.
 * Babcock-Hart Award (1948) – Significant contributions in food technology that resulted in public health improvements through some aspect of nutrition.
 * Bor S. Luh International Award (1956 – International Award from 1956 to 2004) – Individual member or institution that had outstanding efforts in one of the following in food technology: 1) international exchange of ideas, 2) better international understanding, and/or 3) practical successful technology transfer to an economically depressed area in a developed or developing nation.
 * Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award (1959) – Developing an outstanding food process or product that represents a significant advance in food technology or food production.
 * Samuel Cate Prescott Award (1964) – Outstanding ability of research in food technology. This is for researchers who are under 36 years of age or who are a maximum ten years after earning their highest academic degree whichever is later.
 * William V. Cruess Award (1970) – Excellence in teaching food science and technology. It is the only award that students can vote.
 * Carl R. Fellers Award (1984) – For IFT members who have brought honor and recognition to food science through achievements in areas other than education, research, development, and technology transfer.
 * Calvert L. Willey Award (1989) – For meritorious and imaginative service in IFT.
 * Stephen S. Chang Award for Lipid or Flavor Science (1993) – For contribution in lipid and flavor science.
 * IFT Industrial Scientist Award (1994) – For technical contributions that advances the food industry.
 * Marcel Loncin Research Prize (1994) - For basic research involving chemistry, physics, and food engineering applied to food research and food quality.
 * IFT Research & Development Award (1997) – For significant research and development contributions to better understanding within food science, food technology, and nutrition.
 * Elizabeth Fleming Stier Award (1997) – Humanitarian and unselfish dedication that results in significant contributions to the well-being in the food industry, academia, general public, or students.
 * Bernard L. Oser Award (2000) – For contributing to the scientific knowledge of food ingredient safety or in leadership in establishing food ingredient safety evaluation or regulation.
 * Myron Solberg Award (2004) – For providing leadership in establishing, successfully developing, and continuing a cooperative organization involving academia, government, and industry.

IFT Divisions
These are divisions of interest by the IFT Members


 * Aquatic Food Products – seafood
 * Biotechnology
 * Carbohydrate
 * Citrus Products
 * Dairy Foods – dairy products
 * Education
 * Extension and Outreach
 * Food Chemistry
 * Food Engineering
 * Food Law and Regulations – legal aspects in food processing and technology
 * Food Microbiology
 * Food Packaging
 * Foodservice – restaurants.
 * Fruit & Vegetable Products
 * IFT Student Association
 * International
 * Marketing & Management
 * Muscle Foods – meat, poultry, and seafood
 * Nonthermal Processing – food processing through non-heating methods
 * Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods – Combining nutrition and medicine for healthy living
 * Nutrition
 * Product Development – Developing foods from the laboratory to the general public
 * Quality Assurance – food quality
 * Refrigerated and Frozen Foods – foods that are processed through refrigeration and freezing
 * Sensory and Consumer Sciences
 * Toxicology and Safety Evaluation – food allergy mainly

IFT Sections
These are usually cities, states, and regions. If a region is mentioned, a city in that region is mentioned which include areas surrounded by the city.


 * AK-SAR-BEN – Nebraska
 * Alamo – San Antonio, Texas
 * Bluegrass – Kentucky
 * Bonneville – Utah
 * British – Great Britain
 * British Columbia – Canadian province
 * Cactus – Arizona
 * Central New Jersey – subsection of New York Section
 * Central Valley – subsection of Northern California section
 * Chicago
 * Dogwood – North Carolina
 * Florida
 * Great Lakes – Michigan
 * Great Plains – South Dakota, subsection of Minnesota section
 * Hawaii
 * Indiana
 * Intermountain – Idaho
 * Iowa
 * Japan
 * Kansas City – Kansas and western Missouri
 * Keystone – Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
 * Lake Erie – Cleveland, Ohio
 * Long Island – Brooklyn and Queens, New York
 * Longhorn – Dallas, Texas
 * Louisiana Gulf Coast – New Orleans, Louisiana
 * Magnolia – Mississippi
 * Maryland – includes Delaware and West Virginia
 * Mexico
 * Mid-South – Memphis, Tennessee and eastern Arkansas
 * Minnesota
 * Monterey Bay – subsection of Northern California section
 * New York – New York City boroughs of Manhattan, Staten Island, and Bronx, and parts of northern New Jersey.
 * Northeast – Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
 * Northern California – San Francisco, Sacramento, Bakersfield
 * Northwest Ohio – Toledo, Ohio
 * Nutmeg – Connecticut
 * Ohio Valley – Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio
 * Oklahoma
 * Oregon
 * Ozark – Western Arkansas and southwest Missouri
 * Philadelphia – Includes eastern Pennsylvania
 * Pittsburgh – Includes western Pennsylvania
 * Puget Sound – Seattle, Washington and Alaska
 * Rocky Mountain – Colorado and University of Wyoming
 * San Joaquin Valley – subsection of Northern California section
 * Southeastern – Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina (Dixie: 1950–2007)
 * South Florida – Miami, Florida
 * Southern California – Los Angeles and San Diego
 * St. Louis – includes southern Illinois and eastern Missouri
 * Volunteer – All of Tennessee except Memphis
 * Washington, D.C. – includes Virginia
 * West New York
 * Wisconsin

IFT Executive Vice Presidents
Between IFT's founding in 1939 and 1949, the institute had elected a secretary and treasurer that kept up with the daily operations of the institute. By 1949, the membership had reached 3,000 and it was decided to create an Executive Secretary position and establish a permanent location for IFT. Since then, the position's name has changed twice to its current name. There have been five Executive Vice Presidents shown below:


 * Charles S. Lawrence: 1949–61
 * Calvert L. Willey: 1961–87
 * Howard W. Mattson: 1987–91
 * Daniel E. Weber: 1991–2003
 * Barbara Byrd Keenan: 2003–present

IFT Member Grades
There are four member grades within the Institute:


 * Student member – A full-time student working on an Associate of Science degree or higher in food science, food technology, or a related field. All applications must be endorsed by a faculty member.
 * Member – A person active in the food industry who shows interest in supporting the Institute's objective.
 * Professional Member – An IFT member who has five years of experience within food science or technology whether it is academic, government, or industrial. A member with a Master of Science degree can earn one year of membership while member with a Doctorate of Philosophy degree can earn three years of membership to assist in qualification.
 * Emeritus Member – Any retired Member or Professional Member who has been an IFT Member for a minimum of twenty years.