LETTERS
Concern about IFT’s financial future
In his President’s Page on p. 8 of the January 2002 issue of Food Technology, IFT President Phil Nelson raised the issue of IFT’s financial future. He attributed our current financial problem to, in part, the aftermath of the tragedy which occurred on September 11, 2001. That, in my opinion, is too simplistic. Equally simplistic, and perhaps a dangerous solution is the possibility of decreasing the editorial content in Food Technology to offset the decline in revenues. Changing from the current 50/50 ratio (50% ads and 50% editorial) in Food Technology to 60% ads and 40% articles is a convenient short-term remedy that I have seen adopted by other societies, technology journals, trade publications, etc. I believe that it would be unwise for IFT to follow in those footsteps.
This issue of IFT’s economic situation needs to be analyzed, dissected, and thoroughly aired with the membership. There is an ample supply of business acumen in the membership, who I am sure stand ready and willing to help resolve this very important challenge.
—André Bolaffi, IFT Fellow, President, Food Service Advanced Science & Technology & Bolaffi International, San Francisco, Calif.
President Nelson replies:
André, you are correct in stating that only reducing expenses will not resolve IFT’s financial problems, as that only solves the immediate problem. We must develop additional revenue sources to meet our mission. You will be happy to know that such an effort is underway, and hopefully you and others will contribute to help solve this important issue.
Editor’s Note:
There are no plans to change the advertising/editorial ratio in Food Technology.
A succinct and clear presentation
As a patent holder myself, I would like to congratulate Judie D. Dziezak on such a succinct and clear presentation of patents and trade secrets in the U.S. in her article, “Protecting Innovation: Patents vs Trade Secrets” (April 2002, p. 60). These are the kind of papers that make Food Technology a superior technical magazine worth reading.
—Norm Harris, Sangerville, Maine
BOOKS RECEIVED
Protein-Based Surfactants: Synthesis, Physicochemical Properties, and Applications. Ifendu A. Nnanna and Jiding Xia, eds. Marcel Dekker Inc., 270 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. Phone 212-696-9000, fax 212-685-4540, or www.dekker.com. ISBN 0-8247-0004-X. 2001. 290 pp. $150.
Poultry Products Processing: An Industry Guide. Shai Barbut. CRC Press LLC, 2000 Corporate Blvd. NW, Boca Raton, FL 33431. Phone 800-272-7737, fax 800-371-3401, or www.crcpress.com. ISBN 1-58716-060-9. 2002. 548 pp. No price given.
Seed Storage of Horticultural Crops. S.D. Doijode, ed. Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice St., Binghampton, NY 13904-1580. Phone 800-HAWORTH, fax 800-895-0582, [email protected], or www.haworthpressinc.com. ISBN 1-56022-901-2. 2001. 339 pp. $49.95.
Snack Foods Processing. Edmund W. Lusas and Lloyd W. Rooney, eds. Technomic Publishing Co. Inc., 851 New Holland Ave., Box 3535, Lancaster, PA 17604. Phone 800-233-9936, fax 717-295-4538, or www.techpub.com. ISBN 1-56676-932-9. 2001. 639 pp. No price given.
Spices and Seasonings: A Food Technology Handbook. Donna R. Tainter and Anthony T. Grenis, eds. John Wiley & Son Inc., 605 Third Ave., New York, NY 10158-0012. Phone 212-850-6011, fax 212-850-6008, or [email protected]. ISBN 0-471-35575-5. 2001. 249pp. No price given.