Anaheim Showcases the Magic OF
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BY MARY ELLEN KUHN AN AHEIM SHOWCS A ES THE MAGIC OF IFT pg 24 08.09 • www.ift.org Photos of the 2009 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo were taken by Lagniappe Studio. I F T 2009 Annual Me eting & Food E x p o ANAHEIM 2 3 ear round, Anaheim/Orange year. With members representing County, Calif., is home to beauti- 63 countries on hand in Anaheim, Yful beaches, a vacation-friendly the Annual Meeting & Food Expo climate, and, of course, the magical was very much a global gathering. realm of Disneyland. For three days in The event drew about 1,400 inter- June this year, it was also home to the national attendees, and the roster of magic of IFT as a fascinating world of exhibitors included 164 companies food-focused exploration and inven- based outside the United States. MAGIC OF IFT tion unfolded at the Anaheim Conven- International programming The 2009 Annual Meeting & tion Center. kicked off before the official start of The 2009 IFT Annual Meet- the Annual Meeting & Food Expo Food Expo delivered substantive ing & Food Expo® drew more than with the fourth IFT International 14,500 food industry professionals Food Nanoscience Conference spon- science, a multi-faceted from around the world to Southern sored by the Netherlands Foreign California (1). Attendee registration Investment Agency and Canada’s exposition, and countless this year increased by 10% com- Advanced Foods & Materials Net- pared with last year’s event in New work. Global outreach continued on opportunities to celebrate and Orleans. With average convention Wednesday after the Annual Meet- support the best of food thinking. attendee registration down 2% this ing & Food Expo had concluded year, according to the Center for with the IFT Global Food Safety Exhibition Industry Research, the & Quality Conference focused on 1 statistics are especially impressive. traceability. (See article on page 62.) Held June 6–9, the Annual Meeting & Food Expo featured 815 Acknowledging Accomplishment exhibitors showcasing products and As it traditionally does, the Annual services within the bright, airy con- Meeting & Food Expo got under vention center. Nearly 200 educa- way with a celebration of achieve- tional sessions and more than 2,000 ment on Saturday evening. Executive presentations highlighted the latest Vice President Barbara Byrd Keenan scientific developments, important (2) welcomed the assembled crowd regulatory issues, and timely eco- to the Awards Celebration—and nomic insights. to Anaheim. She then introduced The Annual Meeting & Food IFT President Sheri Schellhaass (3), Expo featured more than a few whom she described as “an extraordi- firsts. One of the highest profile was nary leader, motivator, and friend.” the intellectual property exchange In her presentation, Schellhaass event called IPEx. On the Expo referenced the biblical story of the floor, self-guided Trend Tours loaves and fishes in which a large allowed attendees to map a course crowd of hungry people are fed to the booths of exhibitors offering from just a few baskets of loaves innovative products or services relat- and fishes, which miraculously ed to current food industry trends. multiply as they are passed through To better chronicle the Annual the crowd. Like Secretary of Agri- Meeting & Food Expo’s activities, culture Tom Vilsack, who recently the traditional show daily, newly related the story in a speech, Schell- named IFT Live, went digital this haass said she Story continues on page 29. 08.09 • www.ift.org 25 pg AN AHEIM SHOWCASES THE MAGIC OF IFT a b IAE FT C R S VOLUNTEERS HELP FIGHT HUNGER IN ANaheim nce again, as they did last year in New Orleans, IFT volun- volunteer on Wednesday. Oteers set out to leave the Annual Meeting & Food Expo® Like Dong, Professional Member Julie Ruder, left in (b), destination city a little better than they found it. For the 2009 Quality Assurance Manager at Bay Valley Foods, was a event in Anaheim, participants in the IFT Cares anti-hunger second-time IFT Cares participant. She had this to say about the initiative donated several hours of their time packing food at the volunteer experience: “Everybody who can do it should do it.” Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, an affiliate of the IFT Student Association President-Elect Kelsey Ryan, right Feeding America national network of food banks. in (b), said she liked the opportunity to meet new members Three groups of volunteers traveled to the food bank—one while volunteering. And Professional Member Jenny Scott, on Saturday morning, another on Saturday afternoon, and a left in (a), Vice President of Food Safety Programs for the third on Wednesday morning after the Annual Meeting and Grocery Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C., Food Expo concluded. Together, they packed a total of nearly appreciated the fact that volunteering provided her with “an 1,700 boxes of food, which translates into almost 85,000 meals inside view” of the workings of a food bank. for food bank clients. IFT members also made onsite contributions totaling more Plans are under way now to expand the IFT Cares program than $600 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County next year when the Annual Meeting & Food Expo will take thanks to a food bank booth set up in the lobby of the conven- place in Chicago, which is the national headquarters for Feed- tion center. In addition, Food Expo exhibitors donated 2,513 ing America. pounds of food after the Expo concluded—enough to supply Count IFT President-Elect Marianne Gillette among those 2,010 meals. who are hoping for even greater member involvement in the Fifteen of Food Technology’s advertisers also showed 2010 IFT Cares volunteer program. After learning about the their support for IFT Cares. These advertisers all achieved volunteer project in New Orleans, she was eager to be part of outstanding scores for overall ad effectiveness based on a the Anaheim effort and took time out to work at the food bank readership study of the magazine’s February issue. Tradition- there. According to Gillette, the experience was worthwhile, ally, IFT has provided a plaque in recognition of outstanding but she’s hoping to see greater member participation next year. readership scores. Last year, however, a new program offered “I hope others are inspired as I was last year and we have qualifying advertisers a choice: They could either receive strong community engagement in Chicago,” the President- the plaque as usual or forgo it, and instead, IFT would make Elect observed. a donation in the company’s name to the food bank. This year Gillette was not the only IFT member who found the vol- the amount of the donation was $50 per advertiser. The follow- unteer experience meaningful. “It’s an opportunity to try and ing advertisers chose to make the donation: Cargill Health & help in a small way,” said Professional Member Faye Dong, Nutrition, Grain Processing Corp., American Egg Board, Kraft right in (a), Professor and Department Head of the University Food Ingredients, Cargill Inc., Land O’Lakes, MGP Ingredients, of Illinois food science program. “Since we’re in the food Riviana, Caravan Ingredients, Virginia Dare Extract Co., Cognis business, it makes a lot of sense.” Nutrition & Health, Jungbunzlauer, Pharmachem Laboratories, “It makes one feel as if one has made a difference,” Richmond Baking, and Thermo Scientific. said Professional Member Dante Vargas, a staff scientist at General Mills, who extended his stay in Anaheim in order to Mary Ellen Kuhn, Managing Editor, Food Technology pg 26 08.09 • www.ift.org I F T 2009 Annual Me eting & Food E x p o 4 5 views it as “a story of community.” outstanding accomplishments and flow microwave sterilization of She urged IFT members to “pass contributions to the field of food low-acid foods and biomaterials. the basket of loaves and fishes to science and technology. (For infor- Accepting the award in (5) are, the community,” by playing an mation on all of the Achievement from left: Prabhat Kumar, Pablo active role in the organization— Award winners and Fellows, visit Coronel, Josip Simunovic, David and the community at large. www.foodtechnology.org.) Parrott, Van-Den Truong, K.P. “We cannot find comfort in Daryl Lund (4), an Emeritus Sandeep, and Gary Cartwright. the hallowed halls of universi- Professor at the University of Wis- The 2009 recipients of the ties, the closed communities of consin, Madison, was honored as IFT Student Association (IFTSA)/ industry, or the politics and under the 2009 recipient of the Nicholas Campbell’s Excellence in Lead- resourcing of our government Appert Award, which recognizes ership Awards—undergraduate agencies,” Schellhaass continued. preeminence in and contributions Melvany Kasih, from Cornell “We must embrace our responsi- to the field of food science and tech- University, left in (6), and gradu- bility as a society and as a collec- nology and is IFT’s highest honor. ate student Laura K. Strawn from tive community.” Lund’s research has focused on three the University of Florida, right in Early in her presentation, after key areas of food science—fouling photo—were recognized. thanking her family, colleagues, of food contact surfaces, starch gela- Schellhaass also acknowledged and the IFT staff for their support tinization, and microwave-assisted IFT’s immediate Past President over the past year, Schellhaass food processing. John Floros (7) with a plaque com- invited the audience to join with Another highlight of the memorating his service. She saluted her in paying tribute to former Awards Celebration was the pre- Floros as a “truly dedicated, charis- IFT President Ann Hollingsworth, sentation of the Food Technology matic, and inspirational leader.” who passed away on May 17. She Industrial Achievement Award After acknowledging Floros, described the former president as honoring the developers of an out- Schellhaass called on IFT Student 6 7 8 “a remarkable woman, outstand- standing process or product that Association President Patricia ing food technologist, and an advances food production.