Institute of Food Technologists Earns 2018 ASAE Power of A Summit and Gold Awards for its Documentary Film: Food Evolution

CHICAGO – July 11, 2018 – The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has earned 2018 ASAE Power of A Summit and Gold Awards for its documentary film, Food Evolution, which explores global food-related challenges, the critical role that science will play in addressing them, and the public perceptions and misperceptions involving the science of food.

ASAE honored the film, which was commissioned to inspire discussion and highlight the critical role science and innovation play in building a safe, nutritious, and sustainable food supply for everyone.

“Congratulations to IFT for creating and implementing such a meaningful initiative to strengthen and educate society,” said Sharon J. Swan, FASAE, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and chair of the Power of A Awards Judging Committee. “Their effort exemplifies how no other sector helps improve lives as comprehensively as the association community.”

Amid a brutally polarized debate marked by passion, suspicion, and confusion, Food Evolution looks at one of the most critical questions facing the world today — that of food security — and demonstrates the desperate need for common sense, solid information, and calm logical deliberation. Using the often angry and emotional controversy over genetically-modified foods as its entry point, Food Evolution shows how easily fear and misinformation can overwhelm objective, evidence-based analysis. Food Evolution takes the position that science, scientists, and a well-informed public hold the key to solving the world’s food crisis.

“Professional associations are uniquely positioned to create content that objectively and independently confronts difficult and polarizing topics,” said Christie Tarantino-Dean, CEO of IFT. “The message embedded in this film is not that of a company, special interest group, or trade association, but of a collective population of experts, using individual resources to unite bravely behind the importance of sound science and fact-based information.”

IFT identified Black Valley Film’s Scott Hamilton Kennedy, an Academy-Award nominated director, documentarian, and story teller, to direct the film and entrusted him with the task of telling a provocative story about the science and the scientists that are essential to a food system that feeds a global population. Kennedy embarked on this challenge, and over three years of investigation and unpacking the central themes around distrust, information, science and myth, found at the center of this story, a highly-charged debate that was emblematic of the larger theme. While IFT funded the film, it represents the vision, full creative control, and final cut that Kennedy and his partner on this project, Trace Sheehan, maintained throughout the project. 

ASAE’s Power of A (association) Awards, the industry’s highest honor, recognize the association community’s valuable contributions on the local, national and global levels.  The Power of A Awards reward the outstanding accomplishments of associations and industry professionals who work tirelessly to strengthen lives, the workforce, our systems and structures, the economy and the world.

About IFT
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a global organization of 17,000 individual members from more than 100 countries committed to advancing the science of food. Since 1939, IFT has brought together the brightest minds in food science, technology and related professions from academia, government, and industry to solve the world’s greatest food challenges. Our organization works to ensure that our members have the resources they need to learn, grow, and advance the science of food as the population and the world evolve. We believe that science is essential to ensuring a global food supply that is sustainable, safe, nutritious, and accessible to all. For more information, please visit ift.org.