Newswise — CHICAGO—Food professionals from all over the globe gathered in Las Vegas for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) 2012 Annual Meeting & Food Expo June 26-28, 2012 to make this year's event a huge success. Attracting over 18,000 registrants from all 50 states and nearly 80 countries, this year's event featured 1,066 exhibitors, which is an eight percent increase from last year. The number of international exhibitors was 358. Over 100 educational sessions and 1,000+ poster sessions provided information on the latest developments and trends in food science.
This annual event brings together professionals involved in both the science and the business of food—experts from industry, academia and government. The IFT 2013 Annual Meeting and Food Expo will take place in Chicago July 13-16, 2013.
Scientific Session Highlights:IFT Media Relations issued the following press releases based on information presented at scientific sessions. Please refer to the source of this information as the IFT 2012 Annual Meeting and Food Expo.
• Americans Increasingly Desire the Flavor and Health Benefits of Ethnic Foods--Americans increasingly want more ethnic foods and ingredients in their diets, many of which offer unique flavor and texture, and a variety of health benefits.
• Aging Population Focused on Foods to Preserve Health Now, Treat Conditions Later--The rising population of aging health-conscious consumers is driving demand for food products that support good health now, as well as medicinal treatment for conditions that arise in later years.
• The New Frontier in Food Science: Replicating the Nutrition, Texture and Taste of Meat and Eggs--Food scientists are working to replicate the nutrition, as well as the texture, taste and functionalities of meat and eggs, by utilizing plant-based products and in-vitro technologies.
• Skipping Breakfast Can Lead to Unhealthy Habits All Day Long--Compared to breakfast-eaters, breakfast-skippers tend to weigh more and have other unhealthy habits, such as consuming too many sugary drinks or high-calorie snacks.
• Front-of-Pack Labels Combined With In-Store Promotion Can Lead to Healthier Choices--Combining in-store promotion with nutrition labels on the front of food packaging can be a successful method for driving shoppers to make healthier choices.
• Child Obesity Rates Plateau: New Chance for Food Manufacturers to Make an Impact--A plateau in childhood obesity rates following a 20-year increase offers food manufacturers an opportunity to review successful strategies as well as consider new ideas for providing healthy, good-tasting options for the next generation. View the video.
• Human Digestion Simulators Provide Insight into the Path Food Takes--Simulations of the human digestive system have proven to be useful tools for scientists studying how the body processes food from the mouth through the intestines, including how it separates the nutrients for absorption.
• Natural Food Colorants Present Challenges in Maintaining Food Taste, Quality and Satisfaction--Food scientists and manufacturers face a number of hurdles in identifying and effectively using natural food colorants, without diminishing product quality, safety and consumer satisfaction.
Please visit the IFT Newsroom for more information.
Institute of Food Technologists Student Association(IFTSA) 2012 Competition WinnersMore than 150 students representing colleges and universities around the globe participated in the 2012 IFTSA Awards Competitions.
Nutritious Food for Kids, sponsored by Disney Consumer Products:• Grand prize: University of Wisconsin-Madison—Peanut Butter Jamsicles• First place: University of Wisconsin-Madison—Pitstop
Product Development Competition, sponsored by Mars:• 1st place: Cornell University—Dough TEMPtations• 2nd place: University of Wisconsin-Madison—Cranberry POPlers• 3rd place: Ohio State University—UnBeetable Burger
Developing Solutions for Developing Countries Competition:• Domestic 1st Place: Washington State University & University of Idaho—Mango Maandazi• International 1st Place: Universiti Putra Malaysia—Vit-A-Go
Undergraduate Research Paper Competition:• First place: Margaret Debrauske (University of Wisconsin)• Second: Brittany Miller (Cornell University)• Third: Graysen Ortega (Texas Tech University)
Chapter of the Year:• Chapter of the Year: University of Massachusetts Amherst• Most Improved Chapter: University of California-Davis
College Bowl winner: Brigham Young
Watch videos of the winning teams discussing their entries here.
IFT CaresIFT partnered with Three Square Food Bank, a non-profit organization working to end hunger in Southern Nevada during its 2012 Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Las Vegas to pack food for distribution to local families. This year marked the fifth anniversary for the IFT Cares philanthropic initiative, which got its start at the 2008 Annual Meeting & Food Expo in New Orleans.
On Friday, June 29th, dozens of IFT Cares volunteers worked to help pack and organize the 7,060 pounds of product that were donated from IFT's Annual Meeting and Food Expo exhibitors. The Three Square Food Bank, a member of the Feeding America network of food banks, supplies more than 24 million pounds of food and grocery products—the equivalent of nearly 18 million meals annually—to more than 650 program partners throughout Southern Nevada.
A World without Food ScienceAt the 2012 Annual Meeting and Food Expo keynote address, IFT launched a new campaign to counter misconceptions about food science. The overarching kick-off video accurately depicts what a grocery store would be like without the existence of food science. The campaign includes five separate video segments that feature interviews with experts from various food science disciplines to show the positive impact of food science on the public. The first video highlights the challenges surrounding availability of foods and how we will need to feed approximately 9 billion people by 2050. The second video focuses on food safety and the important role of food science in ensuring that the food we eat is safe.
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