Last Updated: 03/17/2009

Welcome to the Wisconsin Section Website!

Please browse our pages for news and information about meetings and membership benefits


 Have Fun by Volunteering for WIFT

Wisconsin IFT needs you!  Please consider volunteering to run for a WIFT Office, help with a specific event or serve on a committee.

 

Officer duties can be found on the WIFT website.  Volunteering for WIFT provides excellent networking opportunities and professional recognition for you.  For less of a commitment, WIFT also needs volunteers to help coordinate WIFT meetings throughout the year and serve on the golf outing, scholarship and other committees.  If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity, please call Past Chair, Beth Ann Nylander.

 
One long-time volunteer says, “Volunteering for WIFT was one of the smartest, career-enhancing moves I’ve made.  I’ve helped with many aspects of the section and developed my leadership skills.  I have met many intelligent, savvy food professionals and students in Wisconsin.  I have gained personal recognition from both the section and national IFT.  And I had a great time doing it!”

 

The History of WIFT

A Celebration of 50 years 

As you all know, WIFT recently celebrated their 50th anniversary as a section of the National IFT organization.  We wanted to take this opportunity to pull together some information about our history.

WIFT was chartered in 1956, about 16 years after IFT was founded.  One of the early members recalls his involvement in WIFT, Daryl Lund:

“I joined IFT and WIFT as a student member in 1963.  As a student the WIFT meetings were wonderful because they were an excellent place to get to know the industry of the state.  It was also helpful to have access to the plants through the tours at the monthly meetings.  I remember that the tours of the Milwaukee breweries were especially well attended, but also very popular were tours to canning plants, cheese plants, equipment manufacturing facilities, and Oscar Mayer.  The UW Food Science Student Club also regularly had a good turnout in part because WIFT gave a very good meal price break to student attendees.

As a faculty member, I was also eager to attend WIFT meetings. The motivation was not only to meet people, see friends and socialize, but also to be with people from companies who supported the work in our laboratories at UW-Madison.  There seemed to be a much closer association of the state industry with the department in those days.  I remember that it was not unusual to hold a meeting so that the drive time one way was even greater than 4 hours (Remember the Interstate system was not totally completed in those days!).  Meetings used to regularly draw 75 - 100 people, and I think we held 6 per year.”

  Another early member, Larry Borchert, was able to supply the WIFT directory for 1972. Membership was 262 strong back then, with 49 Oscar Mayer members, 41 UW-Madison Food Science Club members, 31 UW-Madison members, and 141 members from 67 other companies or Universities within Wisconsin. He also provided meeting notices from 1973-1974, the year he was Chair-Elect for the section.  Even back then the focus was on interesting tours and speakers.

* 135 attended the tour of the WI Department of Agriculture and the Jacobson/Labuza Debate in September 1973.

* 121 attended the WARF tour with the Senator Nelson talk in March 1974.

* 95 attended the Kikkoman Soy Sauce tour in October 1973.

* 75 attended the Wallersheim Winery tour and dinner April 1974.

The budget for the 1974-1975 year was estimated to have an income of $822, based on members paying dues of $3.00 (student members paid 50 cents)!  Their expenses were estimated at $667, with the bulk of it going toward the newsletter and reply card printing and postage.  Amazing how much has changed – for example, the majority of our correspondence is via e-mail, at essentially no cost to the organization!

Some interesting comments from Larry:

“The Wisconsin Section of IFT had 275 members in those years. Attendance was great!  We had a tour, a talk and a cheap meal each month, September to May.

Technology at Oscar Mayer basically shut down on IFT meeting days because everyone attended.”

  In more recent years, WIFT has continued the tradition of tours and interesting speakers.  Just a few of the more popular ones were:

  • Tour of Levy Food Service, Lambeau Field in Green Bay
  • Tour of Gilson, Inc, followed by appetizers and wine tasting in Electronic Theater Controls’ atrium in Middleton
  • Joint meeting with American Association of Candy Technologists, Chocolate and Wine pairing at Trocadero’s in Milwaukee

Also, three Wisconsin members were recently recognized for 50 years with IFT: Dr. Peter Freund of Waukesha, Thomas Hartzell of Sheboygan, and Joachim Von Elbe of Madison.

Here’s to another 50 great years of WIFT!

If you have other memories to share, please send your thoughts to Beth Ann Nylander at bnylander@kraft.com.

 


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