A Bridge to Our Future
IFT Hosts China Delegation
IFT hosted a delegation from Jiangsu Province, China in late October 2009, to discuss the role IFT plays in shaping and influencing U.S. food policy. Jiangsu Province is the most developed region in China, but they have increasing food safety concerns. The delegation hopes to gain a better understanding of quality control and food safety issues in agriculture and the food industry while in the U.S. The 18+ person delegation is organized by the Provincial Green Food Office, an agency of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Forestry in China.
Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST) Summit
IFT and CIFST’s commitment to food science has been demonstrated through joint programming over the past decade and was highlighted during the 2009 IFT-CIFST Food Summit in Beijing from November 8 to 10, 2009. The event focused primarily on food safety and also included sessions on nutraceuticals, functional foods, and GRAS.
Chinese Global Food Industry Magazine
In June of 2009 at the IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Anaheim, IFT and the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST), unveiled the inaugural issue of Global Food Industry Magazine. The magazine, jointly published by IFT and CIFST in Mandarin, aims to be the premier publication in China addressing the science of food. The publication is available to about 5,000 CIFST members and IFT members in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Codex Alimentarius
In 2009, IFT participated in meetings of the Codex Committees on Food Additives (represented by IFT Codex Subject Expert [CSE] Rodney Gray and Gloria Brooks Ray), Contaminants in Foods (CSE Jim Coughlin), Food Labeling (CSE Robert Conover and Gloria Brooks-Ray), the Commission (Robert Conover) and Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CSE Rosemary Walzem, Gloria Brooks-Ray, and Rodney Gray). IFT contributed to deliberations in several Codex venues, providing input into such topics as "Proposed Draft Guidelines on Substances Used in Food Processing," "Discussion Paper on the Nutrient Reference Values for Nutrients Associated with Risk of Noncommunicable Disease," and "Proposed Draft Guidelines on Criteria for Methods for Detection, Identification and Quantification of Specific DNA Sequences and Specific Proteins in Particular in Foods Derived from Modern Biotechnology."
Latin American and Caribbean Association of Food Science and Technology (ALACCTA) Activities
IFT has been working with ALACCTA and the Columbian Society of Food Science and Technology (Asociacion Colombiana de Ciencia y Technologia de Alimentos) on planning a joint event in the fall of 2010 in Colombia. IFT will help with the development of speakers and sessions on sensory evaluation, food consumption trends, and food science and technology for economic development.
International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST)
As the US-adhering body for IUFoST, IFT had the opportunity to nominate a member to stand for election to the IUFoST governing council. IFT submitted a nomination for Dr. Herbert Stone to run for election.
IFT submitted a proposal to conduct a Food Science Leadership Course in conjunction with the IUFoST World Congress in August of 2010 in South Africa. The host committee is excited about this opportunity and the course will be open to new professionals and students attending the Congress.
Nanoscience Conference
Experts from around the world participated in IFT’s International Food Nanoscience Conference, "Nanoscale Science and Technology of Food: From the Lab to the Table," on Saturday, June 6, 2009. Participants explored the latest developments in nanoscale science and technology and its applications in food—across the full continuum from research to consumption and including development, formulation and testing, scale-up for commercial production, safety assessment, and regulatory and consumer issues.
Coalition on Funding Agricultural Research Missions
IFT member Dr. Rakesh Singh, Head of the Food Science & Technology Department with the University of Georgia participated in the 2009 Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) / Coalition on Funding Agricultural Research Missions (CoFARM) Congressional Visits Days on April 21 and 22, 2009. IFT is a member of CoFARM and since 2003, the joint Spring Hill event has informed members of Congress and their staff about the importance of federal support for agricultural research, as well as provided participants with valuable information and networking opportunities. Over 30 scientists participated, with expertise in areas ranging from soil science, food science, evolutionary ecology to agricultural economy.
IFT Comments
In 2009, IFT provided comments to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Workgroup on FDA’s Role in Ensuring Safe Food and the IOM ad hoc Consensus Committee on Strategies to Reduce Dietary Sodium. Comments were submitted to FDA’s Transparency Task Force and on FDA’s Draft Guidance for Industry on Good Importer Practices,Comments were submitted to USDA’s Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and on the USDA Roadmap for Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension and the Determination of Nonregulated Status for Genetically Engineered High-oleic Soybeans. Comments were also submitted to the White House Office of Science, Technology, and Policy on scientific integrity, and to the National Organic Standards Board on nanotechnology in organic food production, processing and packaging. All IFT comments are available on ift.org.
National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research
IFT sponsored Dr. Chris Thompson, Senior Agricultural Regulatory Specialist in the Division of Regulatory Services for the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture as the speaker at a National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (National CFAR) Lunch N’ Learn Seminar on September 14, 2009. His presentation to over 75 Hill staffers and others focused on "Food Traceability – Finding Our Way (and Our Food) Back to the Farm: Milk Transport Security through Traceability." IFT is a member of National C-FAR, a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition in support of sustaining and increasing public investment at the national level in food and agricultural research, extension and education.