Within the IFT community, each day brings new discoveries, exciting innovations, unique applications, and new conversations. Through the work they do, our members – professionals like you – are advancing the field of food science in innumerable ways.
Learn about the most timely, critical developments in the food industry, and participate in conversations with other food professionals who are as committed to the profession as you are.
Product Development
IFT delivers the latest research and breaking news on product development and ingredient innovations that have the potential to transform product and process development. You’ll discover breakthrough advancements, leading-edge science, and technical resources. Grow and share your knowledge of such topics as nanotechnology, encapsulation, nonthermal processing, sodium reduction, sweetener blends, and more.
Food Health & Nutrition
Discover applied science and market trends associated with the development of foods to maintain and improve health. IFT helps you learn and grow with other leading advocates for weight management, nutrigenomics, and foods for the prevention and management of diabetes, heart disease, bone/joint diseases and cancer.
Food Processing & Packaging
With focused, credible resources and up-to-date understanding of scientific and engineering principles, IFT helps you improve existing processing and packaging practices. You’ll find new information to improve the quality, efficiency, and sustainability of processing and packaging efforts. Your learning can also be applied in the development of new products, processes, packaging materials, and techniques.
Food Safety & Defense
Food safety and defense is mission critical. Through its focus on issues of concern and hot topics, IFT provides viewpoints and technical resources that will enhance your understanding of additive and ingredient safety, allergens, novel technologies, and microbial and chemical contaminants. Access applicable information on best practices, risk analysis, traceability, and analytical tools in the areas of microbial and chemical food safety and defense.
Education & Careers
Own your career development and boost your professional skills IQ with ideas and expertise found within IFT’s Education and Professional Development focus area. You’ll gain insight from professionals across industry, government, and academia on subjects like project management, communication skills, teaching strategies, and career management.
Public Policy & Regulations
By focusing on public policy, food laws, and regulations that have national and international implications for the food industry, research, and consumer food safety, IFT keeps science at the center of related decision making. You’ll learn to apply the latest information on safety, defense, labeling and marketing, import/export requirements, and other food-related concerns.
Sustainability
Within the sustainability focus area, you’ll examine the business case for environmental sustainability in the food industry. Learn about efforts in food production sufficiency throughout the product lifecycle—from sustainable ingredient sourcing, to product development, to waste management. You’ll gain understanding of related processing and production methods and best practices in the marketing of sustainable food products.
Food Chemistry
Through IFT's focus on food chemistry, you'll keep abreast of the study and analysis of food chemical components and their chemical reactions and interactions, individually or in food systems. We’ll examine reactions and interactions as chemical components undergo processing, packaging, storage, and digestion; explore new analytical techniques; and understand advances in bioactive research.
Food Engineering
Expand your knowledge of food engineering through IFT’s focus on basic research addressing important topics such as measurement, modeling, and control of food processing systems. You’ll leverage new insights to solve current food production challenges.
Food Microbiology
Explore food microbiology, from pathogenic organisms to the processes that beneficial microorganisms contribute to, such as fermentation and spoilage. You’ll learn about the detection and quantification of pathogenic organisms, how they survive in food and processing environments, and how to characterize those that are emerging. You’ll also discover the microbiology of health and wellness foods, learn about quality control issues, and much more.
Sensory Science
Within the sensory science focus area, you’ll learn about the latest advancements in the science of sensory and consumer research as they apply to food. Explore new and improved sensory methods, sensory science’s role within the food product development process, the relationship between sensory and market research, sensory science’s focus on consumer understanding, and much more.