20,000+
Attended in 2019Whether your company is looking for new customers, new suppliers, or new ideas, IFT FIRST is an essential part of staying on top of what’s next in the science of food and the food industry, so you and your organization can stay ahead of the competition.
100+
Sessions & ConversationsIFT FIRST is where you can fuel your passion for the science and the business of food through IFT FIRST’s thought-provoking scientific, business, featured sessions, Multi-session conversations, full on demand library, 500+ research posters and more.
1,300+
Exhibitor BoothsBe immersed in the industry’s largest collection of food ingredient, food safety & quality, technology, equipment, processing, and packaging suppliers, all assembled under one roof to help you be the first to learn and see the future of food.
Attending the IFT FIRST Annual Event and Expo is akin to packing an entire year’s worth of professional development, supplier/customer relationship building, new product development, and innovation thinking into four intense days. If you do it right, you’ll leave Chicago exhausted, but inspired by your career, your job, your future, and the important role our profession plays in providing a safe, nutritious, and sustainable food supply. You’ll also arrive back at work with new ideas to share with your management and colleagues. Plus, a stack of business cards from potentially lucrative new business contacts, customers, suppliers, collaborators, and innovators.
We're Back! At the IFT FIRST Annual Event and Expo you’ll have the opportunity to visit over 1,300 supplier booths, representing the largest ingredient and technology Food Expo in the world. See, taste, touch and experience all the new products and services the IFT FIRST exhibitors have to offer. Explore new products, find solutions, and make buying decisions all in the three Food Expo intensive days.
It’s this year’s theme - Hacking the Food Supply: Can We Synthesize a More Sustainable Future?- that will bring together a diverse perspective of front-line scientists and product developers to discuss the potential promises and pitfalls of the future of food. How can we as a food and innovation community find solutions to this important issue? Join us for the debate and dialogue to find out.
As we return to an in-person experience, IFT FIRST will explore this topic through five critical areas that are greatly impacting the global food system including: Novel Technology & Innovation; Sustainability & Climate; Health & Nutrition; Food Safety and Consumer Insights and Education. Whether you have been to an IFT annual event or not, this year promises to be a completely reimagined experience that will amp up the discussion and dialogue through multiple formats with select sessions available in-person and via livestream.
While you’re at the event, don’t forget to recharge. Feeding Tomorrow uses the annual event to host one of its largest fundraisers, which benefits its many programs directed at bringing the best and brightest young people into our profession, rewarding the efforts of students in food science, and providing opportunities to leverage the knowledge of our community for the greater good. Attendees and non-attendees alike are able to participate in the Fun Run + Fitness to experience wellness through running, walking, or yoga while supporting important Feeding Tomorrow programs. You can participate both at the event and remotely.