Introducing Food4Thought, Expanding Presence for CFS

Schooling Girls in Food Science Career Options
Today’s schoolchildren have limitless possibilities when considering their future careers. While traditional careers in fields like nursing, education, and civil service are all strong career choices, the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and math—are where many of the high-profile and high-paying jobs exist. It’s also where there are many exciting opportunities to drive innovation and economic development around the world.

Feeding Tomorrow, the Foundation of the Institute of Food Technologists, helps to safeguard the long-term viability of the profession by fostering interest in food  science careers in which food scientists can both support themselves and their families and be part of a cadre of scientists committed to leveraging science to solve food system challenges.

Studies show that children who learn about careers in STEM fields early in school tend to pursue these fields as their profession. However, there is a general lack of awareness about STEM career opportunities, particularly among girls and underserved populations. Consequently, Food4Thought^SM was developed.

Food4Thought is built on three foundational pillars: educate by positioning food science as a key STEM science; engage by implementing pilot programs for future food scientists; and empower by developing learning resources.

Through Food4Thought, Feeding Tomorrow will demonstrate that food science is  a premier STEM field providing students with unique career opportunities that make a difference in how the world lives and eats.

As part of the first pilot program under this initiative, Food4Thought recently hosted two events with students from Southern California.

Food Science 101, the first program in this initiative, was held in June at Chapman University. Fifteen eighth and ninth grade members of Girls Inc. of Orange County participated in an open house led by Chapman students Crystal Lin, Kimberley Au, Karen Thang, Jessica Hallstrom, Natasha Quailes, and Amber Skaretka. The girls conducted food science experiments and learned about potential food science careers. The afternoon capped off with a lesson in ice cream making.

The second event was an immersion experience at the 2013 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo^® for four high school students from Girls Inc. of Orange County. The students toured the IFT Expo, met with food science industry leaders, and attended the Disney Student Product Development Competition. They also visited the Wrigley Global Innovation Center and McDonald’s Hamburger University, where they had a chance encounter with Donald Thompson, the CEO of McDonald’s.

The goal is to raise $1 million to build on these programs to develop a strong foundation to spread the excitement and energy of food science careers. Edlong Dairy Technologies and Starbucks Coffee Co. are founding partners of Food4Thought. Both companies will be involved in creating future programs. For more information on becoming a partner, visit www.feedingtomorrow.org/food4thought, or contact Amanda Perl at [email protected].

CFS Certification Program Supported by Organizations Worldwide
More than 1,400 members of the Certified Food Scientist inaugural class were honored at the 2013 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in July. These food professionals, including certificants who represent all 18 of the 2013 Fortune 500 beverage and food consumer products companies, are now forever marked in history as the first in their profession to earn this esteemed credential.

Although these credential holders all have the CFS certification in common, they embody the diversity of the food science profession and serve in a number of roles across various sectors. Currently, more than 200 organizations, ranging from leading food industry companies to prestigious universities and government agencies, employ two or more Certified Food Scientists. In fact, 13 leading organizations such as Coca-Cola and McCormick have more than 10 Certified Food Scientists on their staff.

Organizations are undoubtedly supporting the program and investing in their teams to ensure top-notch food science talent, both now and in the future. Russell Flowers, who is the Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Merieux NutriSciences Corp., agrees that the program is providing the industry a much-needed form of recognition and qualification. “The CFS credential identifies personnel with a broad knowledge in food science,” said Flowers. “For some of our positions, this type of knowledge is critical to the employee’s success, and to the success of our company.”

The credential continues to be well-received globally, with credential holders  representing 54 countries across the world, and support from regional  associations like the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CFIST), which has partnered with IFT to promote and endorse the program to its members. Jim Smith, past president of CIFST, is currently a commissioner of the International Food Science Certification Commission (IFSCC), which oversees policy- and decision-making associated with the CFS program.

Interested applicants and organizations can learn more about the CFS certification program, including viewing a list of credential holders to date, at ift.org/certification. The application deadlinefor the Oct. 14–Nov. 1 testing window is Oct. 7, 2013.

New IFT leaders take office
IFT and the IFT Student Association are pleased to announce that the IFT President and President-Elect and IFTSA President have taken office on Sept. 1, 2013.

Janet E. Collins was chosen by IFT members to be IFT’s 74th President for 2013–2014. Collins has extensive experience in the food industry; for more than 35 years she has taught and conducted research at academic institutions, led scientific affairs initiatives, and participated in industry project and program management. Currently, she is Senior Manager at DuPont.

IFT members have chosen Mary Ellen Camire to be the next President-Elect. She will succeed Collins, becoming IFT’s 75th President when she takes office on Sept. 1, 2014. Camire is a professor in the Dept. of Food Science at the University of Maine where her research interests include the health benefits of dietary supplements, foods, and food components, sensory evaluation, and chemical changes during food processing, particularly extrusion cooking.

Jonathan Baugher is the newly elected President of IFTSA. He is working toward earning his Ph.D. degree in food science with a minor in food safety at North Carolina State University. Baugher’s research concentrates on norovirus attachment on fresh produce. In addition, he is an R&D intern at Frito-Lay North America, where he helps reformulate hot-packed white dips.

Read more about IFT’s leadership at www.ift.org/about-us/election and also at www.ift.org/about-us/our-leadership.