Developing Our Future

Author and activist Michael Pollan has cautioned us not to eat anything our great-great-grandmothers wouldn’t recognize as food, but when it comes to the practical business of manufacturing food safely, the world changes faster than that.

If you could go back just 20 years, you would see the first genetically modified crops growing without much controversy, food microbiology working to trace outbreaks without the benefit of molecular methods, public health campaigns to encourage getting the fat and cholesterol out of food, a much less globally connected economy (can anyone remember the Chinese section of the Food Expo in 1997?), almost one-and-a-half billion fewer people on the planet, no USDA Organic food, and no mandatory labeling of allergens. Most big food companies had their own internal long-term research groups, and you might have had an AOL account. You may see some of these changes as good and others as bad, but they have all impacted our work as food scientists. And the future looks ever more challenging.

Today, biotechnology is far more powerful and widespread yet bitterly contested. Microbiologists routinely sequence organisms and entire microbiomes, and public health campaigners are now concerned about carbohydrates as well as the ambiguously defined category of “processed” food. Also, the food system is global and the food processing practices in one country can affect those in other countries. The population is still growing but more slowly, and many people are wealthier and are eating more meat. At the same time, organic is a fast-growing category, and new regulatory approaches like the Food Safety Modernization Act show promise to improve the safety of our food yet create immediate practical challenges for food manufacturers. Innovation is fast, global, and cross-institutional—and you probably don’t have an AOL account. You may see some of these trends as good and others as bad, but they will all impact our work as food scientists.

Science and technology give us new tools to face the future. New sequencing and analysis tools will teach us unexpected truths about the complex interactions between food, the human microbiome, and our health and will challenge our understanding of nutrition and toxicology. Advances in information technology will allow us to trace foods across continents and provide unheard of transparency in a globalized system. New polymers will reduce the environmental impacts of food packaging, and new sanitation technologies will reduce the use of water and energy. But these new technological tools won’t have the impact we need unless we adopt them wisely.

In the face of this change we can’t stand still as individuals or a profession, and that’s why one of IFT’s key strategic promises is under the heading of DEVELOP where we set goals to advance scientific knowledge and to promote careers in the science of food. For example, you’ve always been able to read about the latest food science research in the Journal of Food Science or the other IFT scientific publications, but now the video feature Take 5 for Food Science allows you to hear directly from the researchers. Food Technology magazine focuses on the current trends and applications of science, and the new regular column “Inside Academia” spotlights the latest academic research. In addition, IFT offers structured educational programs including short courses and webinars, as well as the Certified Food Scientist program, which will develop your skills and is a great way to demonstrate your ability to apply the science of food in the real world.

However, development cannot be just about technical skills. The food system will need new leadership as generations shift and with them social attitudes and expectations. IFT works to provide members the training and meaningful experiences to help them grow throughout their careers. The volunteer leaders in the IFT Student Association are a particular source of inspiration here. I recently participated in their second annual Global Summit. This free virtual event was developed entirely by a student leadership team from the United States, India, Ireland, and Ghana—imagine what it must have been like scheduling those conference calls! The summit allowed students around the globe to interact virtually and examine pressing topics like effective science communication, novel proteins, and food fraud. Check out their Twitter hashtag #globalsummitandchill!

So as another year begins, think about the changes in the food system you’ve seen and imagine the changes coming. Think about your vision for the future and make your plans to develop your skills to make it happen!

John Coupland, PhD, CFS
IFT President, 2016–2017
Professor of Food Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.
[email protected]
@JohnNCoupland