As we reflect on the successes of the past year, we are imbued with respect and admiration over all that our society has achieved. Some of the noteworthy accomplishments of 2008 are as follows: • The Board of Directors approved recommendations by the Task Force on Strategic Plan Implementation, and as a result, new policy-related workgroups have been appointed. IFT’s volunteer resources and structural workgroups will now be task-driven and based on the work of the organization and on annual needs and priorities that will evolve over time.

• Record numbers of IFT members have volunteered for and participated in IFT’s new volunteer workgroups. Nearly 400 members are currently serving on advisory panels, task forces, and other workgroups.

• The membership referral recruitment campaign got underway with the membership referral program. General information about the program, recruiting tips and tools, reward information, and guidelines are available at the program’s microsite.

• The first-ever Food Technology Presents conference took place February 27–28, 2008, in Chicago. The conference provided product development professionals with practical information on food science, applied technology, market dynamics, and emerging consumer trends.

• The second annual Strategic Leadership Forum took place March 27–29, 2008, in Chicago. IFT members gathered to discuss trends in health and nutrition, innovation in corporate and not-for-profit sectors, and IFT initiatives.

• The IFT New Professionals Community launched a Web page on the social networking site Facebook. The site also hosts the New Professionals’ newsletter, Eat Your Words.

• The IFT Student Association launched a new recruitment campaign: “Are You a Food Geek?” The student association also hosted its first-ever webcast in early May.

• IFT’s information management system received an upgrade: The new database management system, Personify, affords much greater flexibility in customizing applications needed to meet IFT’s business needs.

• Groundbreaking insights and ideas were revealed in nearly 200 educational sessions at IFT’s 68th Annual Meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans, Louisiana. More than 15,000 attendees from more than 80 countries around the world gathered to learn the latest food science and technology developments, view the newest products and trends, form new professional relationships, and partake of the unique culture and flavorful cuisine of New Orleans.

• IFT honored four companies with Food Expo Innovation Awards for exceptional innovation in products, ingredients, technologies, instrumentation, equipment, and services. The four recipients were Bunge North America, CEM Corp., Multisorb Technologies, and NC Hyperbaric.

• For the first time, IFT staff and members reached out to the local community at the Annual Meeting and Food Expo by volunteering their time to support the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana. More than 80 volunteers participated.

• The Society for National Association Publications (SNAP) honored IFT with an Excel Gold Award for the marketing materials for the 2008 Annual Meeting and Food Expo.

• The IFT team that developed CARVER + Shock food defense computer software for the FDA, an outcome of the completion of Task Order 5, received a special citation from the director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). This is the second citation that IFT has received.

• More than 10 webcasts were held—each addressing current issues that IFT members and industry professionals experience, such as functional food trends, forecasting sodium regulations, commodity pricing, and green food production.

• The Journal of Food Science (JFS) restructured its layout to include newly added sections on nanoscale food science, engineering, and technology, and four new sections encompass two former categories: food chemistry; toxicology and chemical food safety; sensory and food quality; and health, nutrition, and food. In addition, JFS’s impact factor has risen to 1.255, which translates into a journal ranking of 37 out of 103 journals in its category.

• IFT received a subcontract to work with RTI International under an existing FDA contract pertaining to risk assessment and food safety.

• The IFT Foundation has produced an informative video raising awareness of the scholarship fund. The video features interviews with past IFT scholarship recipients and highlights the personal experiences of students pursuing careers in food science and technology.

• Two IFT members (Roger Clemens and Joanne Slavin) have been appointed to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

• Three IFT members (Gary Beauchamp, Christina DeWitt, and John Ruff) have been asked to serve on the Institute of Medicine’s committee on dietary sodium.

• IFT past president Dennis Heldman has been appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board.

To learn more about any of these exciting initiatives, please contact IFT Executive Vice President Barbara Byrd Keenan at bbkeenan@ift.org.

On behalf of the IFT Board of Directors and IFT staff members, we thank you for your ongoing commitment and dedication to IFT. We wish you and your family a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season.

Sheri Schellhaass President

Barbara Byrd Keenan Executive Vice President

During the opening ceremony of the 14th World Congress of Food Science and Technology in October, the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST) presented its inaugural Friendship Awards to industry professionals who have fostered growth in China’s food industry. Six IFT members were among the awardees:

• Mary Schmidl, IFT past president (2000-2001)
• Herbert Stone, IFT past present (2004-2005)
• Colin Dennis, director general, Campden BRI, United Kindgom
• Walter Spiess, director emeritus, Universität Karlsruhe, Germany
• Alan Mortimer, founder and managing director, ABC Blending, Australia
• Barbara Byrd Keenan, IFT executive vice president