| July 1, 1939 |
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is founded at MIT. 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 & 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. |
| 2000 |
IFT hosts its first annual Fun Run/Walk. |
| October 2000 |
IFT opens its Washington, D.C. office. |
| November 2000 |
The first IFT Global Food Safety & Quality Conference is hosted. |
| 2001 |
IFT establishes the Congressional Support for Science Award to recognize outstanding contributions to science-based food policies and to increase the role of science in policy development. |
| 2002 |
IFT partners with the Chinese Institute of Food Science & Technology (CIFST) for the first of regular joint Food Summits held in China. |
| January 2003 |
IFT holds its inaugural Research Summit; the topic is Dormant Microbes: Research Needs. |
| 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, IL. |
| 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. |
| June 2010 |
IFT launches its “Day in the Life” series with its award-winning Day in the Life of a NASA Food Scientist video |
| July 2010 |
At the 2010 Annual Meeting, IFT re-launches its foundation under a new name (Feeding Tomorrow) with an updated visual identity. |
| December 2011 |
IFT holds its inaugural Food Policy Impact conference in Arlington, VA. |
| June 2012 |
IFT launches “World Without Food Science,” a public education campaign to generate awareness of the role that food science plays in ensuring a nutritious, safe, and abundant food supply. |