IFT WORLD
JFS adds new sections
Starting with the January/February 2008 issue of Journal of Food Science, three new sections will be added to the current five sections to reflect the expanding scope of the journal.
The new sections and their respective scientific editors are “Nanoscale Food Science, Engineering, and Technology,” M. Anandha Rao; “Health, Nutrition, and Food,” Tung-Ching Lee; and “Toxicology and Chemical Food Safety,” David Min.
In addition, two sections will be renamed to more carefully identify content. The section “Food Chemistry and Toxicology” will be renamed “Food Chemistry” and the section “Sensory and Nutritive Quality” will be renamed “Sensory and Food Quality.” The scientifi c editors are David Min and Tung-Ching Lee, respectively.
The remaining sections and their respective scientifi c editors are “Concise Reviews and Hypotheses in Food Science,” Daryl B. Lund; “Food Microbiology and Safety,” Catherine W.Donnelly; and “Food Engineering and Physical Properties,” M. Anandha Rao.
For more information, visit www.ift.org and click on “Publications.”
JFS
included in
Medline
The National Library of Medicine recently announced that JFS is now indexed and included in Medline, part of the Medlars system.
Citations from the articles indexed, the indexing terms, and the English abstract printed in JFS will be included in the database.
Medline’s database, which is available at www.pubmed.gov, includes more than 16 million references to articles published in more than 5,000 current biomedical journals from the United States and more than 80 foreign countries.
Call for scholarships
The Institute of Food Technologists offers more than 40 undergraduate scholarships and more than 20 graduate scholarships that total almost $100,000 a year (note revised amount) to encourage and support the study of food science and technology.
Companies in the food industry, organizations, IFT Divisions, IFT Sections, and the IFT Foundation sponsor the scholarships, which help students receive the education and training necessary to fill positions in industry, government, and academia.
Applications for the 2008–09 academic year must be turned in to the student’s department head by February 1, 2008 (graduate, senior, and junior students), February 15, 2008(freshman students), and March 1, 2008 (sophomore students). Applications and instructions can be obtained at www.ift.org under “Education.”
For more information, contact Elizabeth J. Plummer, Manager of Foundation Development, at 312-782-8424 or [email protected].
IFT develops assessment tool
The Food Defense Assessment Tool, developed by IFT under contract from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security’s National Center for Food Protection and Defense, is now available to help organizations protect the food supply.
The tool was designed as an educational tool to heighten the user’s awareness of food defense issues and assist in developing a food defense plan for the user’s organization. It should be used as a starting point for food defense discussions. A glossary of relevant terms is provided as an appendix, and there are a number of resources to provide additional information.
IFT is also under contract to the Food and Drug Administration to comprehensively evaluate selected areas in human health, food safety, and food processing so that FDA can develop policies based on state-of-the-art knowledge.
To access the Food Defense Assessment Tool and other contract reports, visit www.ift.org and click on “Research, Reports & Policy.”
Post promoted to director
After 25 years with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, Robert C. Post is now working for USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion as Deputy Director.
During his tenure with FSIS, Post held leadership positions in most of its program areas and served as director of USDA’s labeling policy and consumer protection program. In that position, he shaped, set, and communicated national food policies; established and implemented national requirements for nutrition labeling; established and implemented the joint FSIS–FDA system for approving the use of new food ingredients in meat and poultry production; and created flexible policies on foods standards that resulted in more healthful products in the marketplace.
Post, a Professional Member of IFT, will continue to serve as an adjunct instructor with the Dept. of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Maryland.
Clydesdale named to board
Fergus M. Clydesdale, Distinguished Professor and Head of the Dept. of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, has been invited to serve as a member of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine.
The Board addresses issues of safety and adequacy of the nation’s food supply, establishes principles and guidelines of adequate dietary intake, and renders authoritative judgments on the relationships among food intake, nutrition, and health.
Clydesdale’s appointment began this year and will end on June 30, 2010. He previously served on the board from 1994 to 2000. He is a Professional Member and Fellow of IFT.
Sathe receives teaching award
Shridhar K. Sathe, D.K. Salunkhe Professor of Food Science, Florida State University, recently received the Distinguished Research Professor Award, which recognizes outstanding research and creative activity of the university’s faculty.
Sathe, a leading researcher in food biochemistry, and his research team have identified and characterized tree nut allergens and have developed methods to detect trace amounts of almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, and pecans to help minimize or eliminate inadvertent exposure to these nuts by sensitive allergic individuals. He continues to develop methods for isolation and purification of legume storage proteins with a focus on their molecular characterization and investigation of functional properties relevant to food applications.
He is a Professional Member and Fellow of IFT.
Fung wins food safety award
Daniel Y.C. Fung, Professor of Food Science and Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, recently won the Outstanding Educator in Food Safety Award from the International Association of Food Protection.
The award honors Fung’s contribution to educating more than 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students, distance learning students, and professionals in classroom teaching, symposia, seminars, workshops, and meetings on microbial food safety around the world. During the May 2007 university graduation ceremony, Fung celebrated the graduation of his 100th graduate student. This year, he also directed the 27th International Workshop on Rapid Methods and Automation in Microbiology. This workshop has attracted about 4,000 participants from 60 countries to learn about the latest technologies in detecting microbes and controlling them for food safety and security.
Fung is a Professional Member and Fellow of IFT.
Chang wins alumni award
Vivian P. Chang has received the 2007 Outstanding Recent Alumni Award from Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences. The award recognizes outstanding alumni who have graduated during the past 10 years and provides opportunities for recipients to interact with faculty, students, and other alumni.
Chang, a Member of IFT and International Regional Quality Assurance Manager for Tyson Foods, earned her M.S. degree in food science with an emphasis in food safety and microbiology in 2001.
At Tyson, Chang has trained international quality assurance managers in technical matters, policies, and customer requirements and regulations for different international markets; provided guidance and supervision to 50 U.S. plants that produce products for the company’s International Division; and managed quality and microbiology departments at Tyson de Mexico and Tyson Da-Ling China, as well as at poultry co-packer operations in Panama, Canada, Guatemala, Argentina, and Brazil.
’Food Technology Presents’ Conference Offers Insights into Healthful Foods
Consumers are becoming increasingly more selective about the food they consume, and the market for health and wellness products continues to experience unprecedented growth. The inaugural “Food Technology Presents” conference, “Developing and Marketing Products for Consumer Health & Wellness,” will address this by not only identifying leading consumer drivers but also delivering foods that promote new levels of health, conform to stringent food safety requirements, and meet compressed time-to-market deadlines.
Distinct from other conferences of its kind, this program incorporates a multidisciplinary approach that is structured in tracks to offer attendees the opportunity to customize their learning experience. Participate in all three subject tracks (product development, marketing/packaging, food safety) for a broad educational experience, or focus on one track for in-depth learning in a particular area.
More specifically, you will learn about techniques that will help your organization stay profitable, identify new marketplace opportunities, learn about new marketing and packaging strategies, and explore food safety best practices.
The General Sessions speakers—Enrique Jacoby, Regional Advisor on Nutrition, Pan American Health Organization; Barbara O.Schneeman, Director, Office of Nutrition, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration; and A. Elizabeth Sloan, President, Sloan Trends & Solutions Inc., and Contributing Editor, Food Technology magazine—will provide you with practical actionable information that you can immediately apply to your own product portfolio of health and wellness product initiatives.
Continuing education credits are available to members of the American Dietetic Association, Research Chefs Association, and Product Development and Management Association.
The conference will be held on February 27–28, 2008, in Chicago, Ill. Register by February 1, 2008, and save $100. For more information, visit www.ift.org/ftpc.