Stronger Together

When the average person thinks about where their food comes from, their likely conclusion is “the grocery store” or “the delivery guy.” But as science of food professionals, we know it is not so simple and that food doesn’t come from just one place.

Food is a collaboration. The global food supply is an intricate series of connections, stretching from farm to table, and it wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration of dozens (or hundreds or thousands) of food professionals along the way. It is those connections and that collaboration that make our food supply possible, and as science of food professionals, we are privileged enough to be a major part of that process.

Along those same lines, connection and collaboration are central to IFT’s ability to fulfill our ambitious mission of advancing the science of food and providing every person on the planet with a safe, nutritious, and sustainable food supply. They are also an essential part of what makes IFT such a great community.

To me, IFT is the conduit for bringing people and science and learning together. That’s the greatest strength of IFT: it’s the go-to place for anything someone in our profession would want.

And connection happens across the association. It’s at local section meetings, where colleagues can come together to network locally and share critical information. It’s on IFT Connect, the online community where our members exchange tips, news, and advice. You can see it in our scientific journals, where volunteer editors review new studies that will help us advance the impact of our work. And, of course, it happens at our annual meeting and food expo.

I fundamentally believe that when IFT members get together in any setting—be it a section event, a division, a committee, the annual event, or elsewhere—it makes the world a better place, and it enhances the reputation and the strength of our profession. I don’t even want to think of how far behind the science of food would be without IFT.

At IFT, people come together. Companies are birthed. New products are developed. When IFT is at its best, it’s when we are all coming together ... and that all starts with you. Because we all get something from your being here. The sum of what we can accomplish together is far greater than what we can accomplish individually.

If IFT is going to fulfill our ambitious mission, we are going to need everyone ... and that includes you. Your presence and your passion and your ideas are essential to the enhancement of the science of food. And you never know who you might meet, or how you might be inspired.

I’ve seen it with my own eyes. And, of course, I’ve benefited from it myself. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have been at the IFT annual meeting, or at a section meeting, where I saw a presentation that changed how I thought about my work. I might arrive with a certain problem I was hoping to solve, or in need of inspiration, and by listening to other people’s ideas or solutions, I was able to find answers I didn’t even know existed.

I remember one particular annual event where I attended a symposium on systems thinking. I was intrigued by the approach, and afterward, I spoke to the presenters for a few minutes to get a better understanding of the process. Over the course of the conversation, I realized I could take this type of approach to my work at NASA. It’s the real beauty of the IFT community: knowing that when we get together, we are amongst not only our profession’s best and brightest, but people who uniquely understand the challenges we are facing.

But this isn’t a one-sided proposition: if you are going to get the highest possible return on investment for your IFT membership, you owe it to yourself to be an active part of this community, collaborating and connecting with your fellow members to make the most of the opportunities IFT affords us. To borrow (and adapt) a phrase from John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what IFT can do for you, but what you can do for IFT.”

As I have said many times before (and as I will likely say many times again!), no matter how much time and energy you put into IFT, you’ll always get back 10 times as much. Because when we all work together, we make each other better. We are stronger together.

With that, on behalf of everyone at IFT, I want to wish you and yours very happy holidays, and a healthy, happy, and joyous New Year!

Michele Perchonok, PhD, CFS
IFT President, 2018–2019
[email protected]