Annual meeting keynote speaker; IUFoST award nominations; Erdman to give lecture

IFT announces keynote speaker
Former Trader Joe’s President Doug Rauch will share his thoughts about supplying a booming world population with healthy, sustainable food when he keynotes the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo™ in New Orleans on June 22, 2014.

During his 31 years with Trader Joe’s, Rauch grew the grocery chain from nine stores in Southern California to more than 340 stores across 30 states. In his talk, he will draw on this unique perspective to make predictions about how food production methods may change to keep up with a rapidly growing world population—one that is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050.

After 14 years as the company’s President, Rauch retired from Trader Joe’s in 2008. Since then, his focus has been on making healthy, affordable foods available to inner city residents, and he recently announced plans to open a hybrid grocery store and restaurant that sells expired but still-usable food.

Complete details about the 2014 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo, which runs from June 21–24, are available at www.ift.org/ift14. A comprehensive preview of the event will appear in the May issue of Food Technology.

Erdman to present Tanner Lecture
John W. Erdman Jr., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus in the Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was chosen by the Chicago Section of IFT to present this year’s Tanner Lecture, “Does the Processing of Foods Impact Cancer Risk?”, at the Cafe La Cave restaurant in Des Plaines, Ill., on May 12, 2014.

During the lecture, he will examine how excess heating through grilling and broiling can create carcinogens and how fruits, vegetables, and whole grains might combat them. He will discuss the effectiveness of whole foods vs single bioactive supplements, whether combining whole foods offers benefits, and how thermal processing may affect the activation of bioactives in foods.

Erdman specializes in the nutritional and physiological biochemistry of man and animals, and he has authored more than 180 research articles on these subjects. He is a Professional Member of IFT, a Past President of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences, and has served on 27 committees for the Institute of Medicine. He received his B.S., M.S., M.Ph., and Ph.D. in Food Science from Rutgers University.

The annual lecture—now in its 52nd year—honors Fred Wilbur Tanner, a food scientist and microbiologist who served in the founding of IFT.

--- PAGE BREAK ---

IUFoST calls for award nominations
International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) is calling for submissions for its Global Food Industry Awards, which honor creativity in food innovation in the areas of packaging design, nutrition, enterprise, food safety, and products. Nominations are due by March 31, 2014.

The awards encompass three categories: product or process innovation, package innovation, and communicating science-related knowledge to consumers, which includes marketing campaigns. Four products may be nominated in each category.

Nominations will be judged by a global panel, and finalists will be notified by May 1. They will then be required to submit example packaging for final judgment and exhibition during the IUFoST World Congress of Food Science and Technology, which will be held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Aug. 17–21, 2014. Visit www.iufost.org/awards_global_food_industry to submit a nomination.

Schneider joins Wixon
Wixon, a manufacturer of seasonings, flavors, and technologies, recently named Meredith Schneider its Director of Industrial Ingredient Sales. She will be responsible for managing the strategic direction of the company’s national sales team for Industrial Ingredients.

Schneider, an IFT Member, has more than 12 years of experience in the nutritional and functional food industry; she was formerly the Regional Sales Manager –North America for Stepan Lipid Nutrition in Northbrook, Ill.

Silliker promotes Westmoreland

Silliker Inc., a Merieux NutriSciences Co., recently promoted IFT Member Kurt Westmoreland to the position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He is based in the company’s Chicago, Ill., office.

Cactus
April 1: Suppliers’ Night. Phoenix, Ariz. Contact Holly Long at 480-319-5644 or [email protected], or visit www.eventbrite.com/e/suppliers-night-2014-attendee-registration-tickets-10338475659.

Chicago
April 8: Dinner meeting. Elmhurst, Ill. Contact Lynnda Nelson at 630-906-4960 or [email protected], or visit www.chicagoift.org/meetings/April72014_Waterford.html.

Iowa
April 3: Suppliers’ Night. Altoona, Iowa. Contact Teresa Busch at 608-772-2035 or [email protected], or visit www.iftiowa.org/en/meetings/suppliers_night/attendee_registration.

New York
April 2: Suppliers’ Day. Somerset, N.J. Contact Gerri Cristantiello at 201-905-0090 or [email protected], or visit www.nyiftsuppliersday.com.

Nutmeg
April 30: Dinner meeting. Somers, N.Y. Contact Gerri Cristantiello at 201-905-0090 or [email protected], or visit www.ift.org/sections/nyift.

Ohio Valley
April 16: Golf outing and dinner. Liberty Township, Ohio. Contact John Black at 614-312-4920 or [email protected], or visit www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-ovift-golf-outing-dinner-tickets-10148888599.
April 17: Suppliers’ Expo. West Chester, Ohio. Contact Anna Donovan at 859-342-3600 or [email protected], or visit www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-ovift-suppliers-expo-tickets-10221890951.

St. Louis
April 10: Suppliers’ Night. St. Louis, Mo. Contact Keith Hampton at 314-497-4498 or [email protected], or visit www.eventbrite.com/e/stlouis-suppliers-night-2014-tickets-8522475955. See online ad in Classified Marketplace.