Acrylamide and Allergens: On the Menu at IFT

One-thousand exhibiting companies, an active audience of over 20,000 and hundreds of technical presentations ranging from the latest on acrylamide and bioterrorism to the top food trends of the future provide the meat and potatoes of the five-day long Institute of Food Technologists' Annual Meeting + Food Expo(r).

Scheduled July 12-16 at Chicago's McCormick Place and the largest annual technical meeting and exhibition of its kind in the world, the 63rd IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo(r) will display the latest advancements and revelations in foods and food-related topics, attracting international audiences from the world of food research, food processing and product development.

Rated among the largest 200 conventions in America*, the IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo(r) delivers comprehensive, cutting-edge research and opinion from food science-, technology-, marketing- and business-leaders.

Technical sessions begin Sunday, July 13, and include new consumer concerns and regulatory measures on the allegencity of food ingredients; presenters include nationally renowned food allergen experts and representatives of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

On Monday, the presence of acrylamide in foods commands attention at special morning and afternoon symposia, as toxicology levels, risk assessment, food laws and regulations and prevention strategies are presented and gaps in data are identified. Experts hail from the F.D.A., the U.S. Joint Institute for Food Science & Applied Nutrition, and Sweden, the origin of the acrylamide-in-food concern.

Much more information on the IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo(r) is accessible online at http://www.am-fe.ift.org, including a complete roster of research presentations and participants, and an exhibitor roster and product descriptions provided by the presenting companies.

Scientific perspective and solutions on world food issues proceed beyond this five-day event, as IFT co-hosts the World Congress of Food Science and Technology, July 16-20, also in Chicago, http://www.worldfoodscience.org/worldcongress.

* According to 2002 edition of Tradeshow Week(r) 200 magazine.

Founded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists is a not-for-profit international scientific society with 28,000 members working in food science, technology and related professions in industry, academia and government. As the society for food science and technology, IFT brings sound science to the public discussion of food issues. For more on IFT, see www.ift.org.