IFT Workshops - Knowledge You Can Trust

• 2-Day Course – July 11 & 12
• 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Food Science for the Non Food Scientist is a foundational workshop designed for professionals across the food system—from sales and marketing to supply chain, procurement, regulatory, business development, and early career technical staff—who interact with food scientists but may not have formal training in food science.

Through practical explanations, sensory demos, real world case examples, and industry relevant terminology, this workshop builds a shared understanding of the science behind food products. Participants will gain confidence communicating with technical teams and customers, improve cross functional collaboration, and strengthen their ability to make informed decisions in product development, ingredient selection, food safety, quality, and commercialization.

Whether you work in an ingredient company, CPG, flavor/seasonings firm, foodservice supplier, startup, or adjacent sector, this workshop equips you with the scientific literacy needed to understand how food products are developed, formulated, processed, and evaluated within modern food organizations.

• 2-Day Course – July 11 & 12
• 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Food labeling requirements in the U.S. are complex, and are changing, so you need to stay ahead of the curve. This course will provide you with the foundational and practical knowledge you need to comply with both established and newer labeling laws and regulations for conventional foods, including meat and poultry. Instructors will also cover emerging issues to help regulatory professionals and product developers react properly to marketplace drivers other than legal changes, such as consumer interest in clean/clear labeling, alternative protein products, corporate social responsibility, responsible sourcing, and the growing threat of private litigation over labeling issues.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the specific labeling requirements of both the FDA and USDA
• Identify which mandatory information must appear on the label of your food product, and which voluntary statements may be made. Discussions include ingredient statements, nutrition labeling requirements, nutrient content claims, health claims and structure/function claims
• Become familiar with legal references for labeling requirements
• Understand label statements that contribute to food safety and promote health and wellness

• 2-Day Course – July 11 & 12
• 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Many companies face challenges correctly identifying a product’s best by date, resulting often in wasting food that is still acceptable. Shelf-life testing can be difficult and a resource drain, causing many companies to delay or avoid attempts at measuring shelf-life. This course will introduce the Shelf-Life Simplified Paradigm, which streamlines shelf-life investigations on shelf stable products by narrowing the scope to only consider modes of failure applicable for the expected water activity range of the product.

By eliminating the need to track modes of failure that are not likely for the product, collection of time series data that quantifies the mode of failure is much easier. This time series data is needed to construct effective shelf-life models. Traditionally, shelf-life models would only account for temperature as a variable. However, simplified shelf life incorporates the hygrothermal time model, which is the only shelf-life model in the literature that contains both temperature and water activity as variables.

This course will provide examples of how-to setup an accelerated shelf-life study and then use this data to create a hygrothermal time model to predict shelf life at a range of storage conditions. In addition, this course will provide instruction on how water activity controls microbial spoilage and how to prevent and model moisture migration. Finally, the course will cover failures related to texture changes and how establishing a critical water activity can prevent failures. Attendees will be equipped to pursue attainable shelf-life testing on their own products and prevent future product failures through water activity control. Important note: This approach is not applicable to investigating the shelf life of fresh products and the course will not address shelf-life testing of things like fresh produce.

• 2-Day Course – July 11 & 12
• 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

In a world of competing priorities, come learn how to develop innovation and reformulation strategies that will last- improving nutrient profiles (reducing sugar/salt/unhealthy fats, increasing fiber) while navigating the challenges of ultra-processed food classifications. Participants learn strategies for formulating for different nutrient priorities, practical applications for improving a product’s nutrition profiles and how to navigate the challenges with ingredient misperceptions and food classification systems.

• 1-Day Course – July 12
• 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Are you prepared for the rapidly changing landscape of food additive and color regulation in the United States? As states enact new bans and restrictions, understanding the intersection of science, law, and public perception is more critical than ever. In this course, you'll explore the federal and state regulatory frameworks, analyze recent legislative actions, and examine the scientific and legal standards that underpin food additive safety. Through real-world case studies and practical guidance, you'll gain the tools to monitor regulatory changes, ensure compliance, and communicate effectively with stakeholders. Equip yourself to navigate the complexities of state bans and their national implications with confidence and clarity.

Learning Objectives

• Identify key state-level legislative actions affecting food additives and colors
• Describe the federal regulatory framework for food additives, including GRAS and color additive petitions
• Analyze the impact of state laws on national food regulation and industry practices
• Differentiate between scientific, legal, and consumer perspectives on food additive safety
• Apply resources and best practices to monitor and respond to regulatory change

• Half-Day Course – July 12
• 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Learn how AI is transforming product development by enhancing speed to result and production efficiencies at the R&D and formulation stages. Participants will gain an inside look at generative AI, its current industry applications and the challenges of integrating AI tools into traditional processes. This workshop is structured in a more traditional learning format focusing on foundational understanding and exploration of how AI can be applied across product development to uncover opportunities in early-stage development and optimize AI driven insights for overcoming technical challenges and supporting customized formulations based on consumer data.

• Half-Day Course – July 15
• 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

This hands-on workshop is structured around real-world product development challenges in which participants come together to brainstorm and develop new product ideas inspired by IFT FIRST and real-world examples. Working individually or in small groups, participants will collaborate to ideate and explore early-stage product concepts.

Participants will use IFT’s CoDeveloper to support collaboration, develop initial product concepts and explore how AI can help address technical challenges encountered during product development. This workshop format includes demonstrations followed by guided activities which allow participants to apply what they see to similar tasks. This workshop is standalone from Sunday and it is highly application-focused and designed to provide direct experience using CoDeveloper in a collaborative product innovation setting.