Board nominations open; IFT launches dairy course

IFT Board nominations open
IFT encourages members to participate in the election process by nominating yourself or a colleague for IFT president-elect or the IFT Board of Directors. The Board of Directors engages in strategic thinking and planning to set the organization’s direction and mobilize resources to ensure IFT’s progress in achieving its mission. Board leaders are responsible for cultivating a professional community committed to advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system.

Please visit the Candidate Guide to learn more about board responsibilities and the nomination process. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, Sept. 15. Please take this opportunity to play a key role in the future of IFT. If you have any questions, please contact Kate Dockins, staff liaison for the Nominations & Elections Committee, at [email protected].

Submit a Nomination.

IFT launches dairy course
IFT recently created a new online course about all things dairy, including milk processing, the chemical and physical properties of milk, quality and safety, and products created from milk, such as butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. The course is now available at the following price points: $535 for nonmembers, $430 for members, and $320 for student members. It counts as seven continuing education contact hours.

“The objective behind developing this course was to provide fundamental background of dairy science to personnel who have very little or no background of dairy foods or who are working in nontechnical fields such as management, marketing, sales, and consumer insights,” explains the course creator, Nitin Joshi. “Technical people with nondairy background such as engineers, operations, manufacturing, nutritionists, and dietitians would also benefit from this course.”

After completing the course, attendees will understand the basic components of dairy science, identify trends in the dairy industry, and understand how dairy science impacts other areas of food science. Visit ift.org/dairycourse for more information.

IFT overhauls e-commerce site
As part of IFT’s commitment to continually enhance member experiences, the organization embarked on a major online experience overhaul project. One of the first phases of this project included a complete redesign of IFT’s e-commerce website, which is now close to completion. The redesign will provide a number of improvements, including a new user-friendly interface and design, a more efficient checkout process, and consolidated online profile management, as well as other additional functionalities and enhancements. IFT will provide updates in upcoming member newsletters and social media channels as the site’s launch approaches later this summer.

Frozen Food Foundation awards Harrison
The Frozen Food Foundation, in conjunction with the International Assoc. for Food Protection, recognized Mark Harrison, a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, graduate coordinator, and researcher in the Dept. of Food Science and Technology at the University of Georgia, with the eighth annual Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award. The award recognizes individuals or organizations whose research contributes to the continued enhancement of food quality and safety through freezing.

“Dr. Harrison’s contributions to the field of food safety have aided the scientific community and consumers alike by developing science-based solutions that have increased product quality, safety, and shelf life,” says the foundation’s president, Alison Bodor.

A member of IFT, Harrison holds an MS in microbiology and a PhD in food technology and science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Thesmar advances at FMI
The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) recently promoted Hilary Thesmar to chief food and product safety officer and senior vice-president, food safety programs.

Thesmar is responsible for supervising food safety programs, initiatives, activities, and resources for FMI and its members. She represents FMI to a wide audience of stakeholders and professionals, including various governmental, Congressional, scientific, consumer, and industry audiences on issues related to food safety and regulatory compliance. In her six years at FMI, Thesmar, a Certified Food Scientist, has helped update and create several critical resources, including a Food Allergen Resource Document, a Listeria Action Plan for Retailers, and a sample FSMA Distribution Center Food Safety Plan to assist with Food Safety Modernization Act compliance.

Hasler-Lewis retires
Clare Hasler-Lewis, founding executive director of the Robert Mondavi Institute at the University of California, Davis, recently retired after 13 years of leadership. Hasler-Lewis created an extensive network of partners and friends for the Institute and has been a champion of the UC Davis Olive Center and The Honey and Pollination Center.

Prior to her work with the Institute, Hasler-Lewis served as the founding director of the Functional Foods for Health Program at the University of Illinois from 1992 to 2000. She holds a dual PhD in environmental toxicology and human nutrition from Michigan State University and an MS in nutrition science from Pennsylvania State University. She also earned an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

An IFT member, Hasler-Lewis has published more than 60 research and position papers, invited reviews, book chapters, and bulletins and has given hundreds of lectures on diet and health in more than 20 countries. From 2005 to 2015, she served on the board of directors of Chiquita Brands International, where she also established and chaired the Food Safety, Technology, and Sustainability Committee. In 2011, Hasler-Lewis was honored with the President’s Award from The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology.

Jean-Xavier Guinard, an IFT member and professor in the Dept. of Food Science and Technology, will serve as the Institute’s interim director. Guinard is a sensory scientist and consumer researcher and has served in the UC Davis administration for international programs for the past decade. He has been a faculty member at UC Davis since 1994.

Intern program deadline nears
Internships are key to building experience as a student, and the Feeding Tomorrow Intern+ Program connects IFT student members to a variety of professional internships and trainee programs designed to explore areas of career interest, develop skills, and gain experience plus (+) support recipients with an academic scholarship or travel scholarship to attend the IFT annual event. Applications are due Sept. 30.

Learn more about Feeding Tomorrow Intern+ opportunities and submit your application by visiting ift.org/community/students/intern.

Section Meetings
Chicago
Nov. 1: Suppliers’ night. Rosemont, Ill. Click here.

Longhorn
Sept. 14: Suppliers’ night. Frisco, Texas. Click here.

Philadelphia
Oct. 24: Suppliers’ night. Cinnaminson, N.J. Click here.

Have some news to share about yourself or another IFT member? Email [email protected].