Telling Stories of Food Science

The Institute of Food Technologists is excited to announce that we have chosen an Oscar nominee to direct our FutureFood 2050 documentary, one of our high-profile 75th anniversary initiatives. Scott Hamilton Kennedy is best known for directing the documentary The Garden, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2008. His latest film, Fame High, was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times Critics’ Pick.

As a leading documentary director, Kennedy brings enthusiasm, energy, and openness to the project. Based in Los Angeles, Kennedy and his team will travel around the world to interview the top people in food science and technology and get a firsthand look at the difference they’re making in the global food system.

The FutureFood 2050 documentary will look back at the advances made in food science and technology over the last 75 years, and it will look forward to the innovations to come in the next 75. It will focus on several food science themes, including feeding the world sustainably, making people healthier, ensuring food safety, addressing diverse lifestyles, and creating cutting-edge technology.

Our 75th anniversary offers a new opportunity to tell the story of food science and technology to a broad audience and to make the general public aware of issues facing the world’s food supply from a science-based point of view. By focusing on science, we’ll educate the public about the critical role food scientists and technologists play in solving both today’s and tomorrow’s global challenges. Our documentary also can serve as a means to recruit a new generation of food scientists in schools throughout the world. The FutureFood 2050 documentary will take about 18 months to develop and produce. It’s scheduled to premiere in 2015, and you will hear more at the 2014 IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo^® in New Orleans. Kennedy also will lead a session at the Annual Meeting at noon on Monday, June 23, 2014, called “A Filmmaker’s Perspective: FutureFood 2050 Panel Discussion.”

We are currently conducting 75 interviews with prominent people who are making an impact on food systems. We’re using these interviews to create compelling stories for our new website, www.FutureFood2050.com.

One of our first stories features M.S. Swaminathan, a geneticist, leader of the Green Revolution in India, and winner of the first World Food Prize in 1987. Now 88 years old, Swaminathan has worked tirelessly for 50 years to advance sustainable agricultural technologies in India.

Another story highlights the work of Catherine Bertini, a World Food Prize Laureate and Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs at Syracuse University, who spent a decade as Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme. She’s a passionate advocate for the importance of empowering women in developing countries by teaching them to farm more efficiently and feed their families more nutritiously.

We’re also interviewing Anjan Contractor, a mechanical engineer at Systems & Material Research Corp., who is working on 3D printing of food. This process involves using printing technology to create real food from powdered ingredients. Future articles will explore contemporary themes and issues such as food waste, women in science, novel protein sources, climate change, food insecurity in Africa, and seafood.

We encourage you to go to the new website, learn about the great work we’re doing in food science and technology, and then spread the word to others. We want to drive the conversation surrounding food in a new direction that embraces facts and solutions based in science. We also would like to hear what you think. Share your insights and opinions through the social media links on www.FutureFood2050.com.

Our new website offers a myriad of opportunities to provide your input, your ideas, and your inspiration concerning the future of our profession. I strongly encourage you to take a bit of time to explore the site, read the stories, and think about how impressive our contributions to science have been for the world. Further, think about your impact. Each one of us has something unique to offer. Let’s be part of the storytelling. Let’s make this robust and personal.

I am convinced that when the documentary is complete, we will take pride in its ability to visually demonstrate the many ways in which our profession provides scientific understanding and critical value to the food systems upon which we all rely.

Janet E. Collins, Ph.D., R.D., CFS,
IFT President, 2013–14
DuPont Corporate Regulatory Affairs
[email protected]