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Limiting and labeling trans fats in food is not enough, according to Walter Willett, an epidemiologist and nutrition professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, who argues to food manufacturers that they should be banned altogether. Willett was among dozens of speakers on the opening day of the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting & Food Expo here, the world's largest annual food science forum and exposition.

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Approximately one year after a foodborne illness outbreak caused by bacteria on fresh spinach sickened hundreds across the country, fresh produce growers and processors will meet once again with U.S. regulatory agencies to determine how best to reduce the chances of such an outbreak happening again.

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Philip E. Nelson, president of the Institute of Food Technologists in 2002, will be recognized today at the U.S. Department of State as the 2007 recipient of the World Food Prize, the world's highest food honor. Today's announcement will include Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug, and other distinguished leaders.

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Recognizing the importance of focused and intentional efforts for the advancement of food science and technology, the Institute of Food Technologists' 2007 Congressional Support for Science Award will be presented here today to U.S. Senators Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.

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In order to manage the inherent complexity of the U.S. food safety system that's affected on the global scale, the Institute of Food Technologists recommends food safety policies be developed as part of a national initiative with input from all stakeholders. Managing food safety is a complex task, as hazards are ever-changing and the amount and complexity of data"”and the residual unknowns"”are growing at a rapid rate.

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Today's food trends"”and Americans' demands for increased variety in their diets"”are as diverse as the U.S. population, according to the latest Top 10 Food Trends published in Food Technology magazine, the monthly magazine by the non-for-profit, international scientific society Institute of Food Technologists.

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The impact on our environment from food packaging waste can be minimized by prudently selecting materials and following established regulatory guidelines, yet the primary purpose must continue to be maintaining safe, wholesome and quality food, according to the Institute of Food Technologists and its latest scientific review.

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Compelling evidence that herbs and spices found prevalent in many popular dishes can help ward off disease remains elusive but, according to the latest issue of Food Technology magazine, some small clinical trials raise the question of whether some positive health influence exists.

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Supermarkets are whipping up their own recipe to take a bite out of America's growing takeout trend. According to this month's Food Technology magazine, supermarkets around the nation are making every effort to create meals eaten at home easier, fresher, healthier and more exciting.

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Breakfast alone may not be the solution to reducing obesity among American consumers, but some reformulation of morning selections could prove beneficial in the battle against the bulge according to the latest issue of Food Technology.

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Its caffeine can bring jitters and its color can stain teeth, yet moderate consumption of coffee is being shown to have generally positive and protective effects on the emergence of disease conditions according to this month's issue of Food Technology magazine.

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The Institute of Food Technologists believes that a few changes to regulatory policies involving functional foods could provide very positive benefits to consumers and consumer health, and commended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for holding a public hearing Dec. 5 on functional foods and made recommendations to the agency.

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As investigators actively seek to identify sources and vehicles responsible for the introduction of E. coli O157:H7 onto California spinach that made its way into the food supply this fall, the Journal of Food Science this month provides up-to-date research on the various ways bacteria can survive on fresh produce.

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First published in 1997 but still pertinent today, the Institute of Food Technologists' scientific status summary on E. coli O157:H7 describes the pathogen, its ability to infect, the inherent difficulties to inactivate it, and much more.

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CHICAGO"”A scientific leader in food science, food safety, food processing, and more, the Institute of Food Technologists has specialists who can provide insight and expert commentary on the latest food safety alert issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on an outbreak of dangerous E. coli O157:H7 bacteria on bagged fresh spinach.

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Official dates of the 2007 Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting + Food Expo® in Chicago have been changed to July 28-31, in order to maintain the conference's traditional Saturday-through-Tuesday schedule. This is a modification from the previously announced dates, July 26-30.

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Food that can make the brain function better is the same food that can make the entire body healthier. But that doesn't stop consumers from still seeking an edge. Food scientists and other researchers presenting at the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting here say they're still trying to nail down mental energy's definition, even as new products make new claims that they are the answer.

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Contrary to popular opinion, beer is as healthy"”if not more healthy"”than wine, according to a university professor with an academic title any Joe Six-pack would relish.

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Everything organic seems touched with a magic wand; but where organic can make no claim is also where U.S. producers could use a boost. In surveys of major food companies that buy fish, one reason for not purchasing U.S. seafood appears glaring: "'No credible organic standards' stands out as a problem," said Gary Jensen of the U.S Department of Agriculture.

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For anyone who's ever placed a minty breath strip on their tongue, they've sampled only the tip of the iceberg in the uses of edible films that food scientists are dreaming up for consumers. Those scientists spoke Tuesday at the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting here.

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The car's power window just might be the fastest growing food appliance in America, according to one of the food industry's leading consumer research experts, speaking Tuesday to food scientists and other food professionals gathered at the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting.

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As food scientists actively search for ways to extend the shelf life of fresh produce, the U.S. Navy is at the front of the line waiting to buy it. Navy officials are currently in talks with a California company that produces plastic material made to regulate the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide contained in a package of fresh fruit or vegetables.

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Heredity and family customs"”especially what you are fed as baby"”have an enormous impact on eating habits and taste cravings as an adult. That's what scientists speaking at the world's largest annual food science conference said here Monday at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO®.

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Science needs a few more good women. Efforts to improve foods targeted at improving women's health face a major challenge: A significant shortage of research reliant upon women's participation in food trials and studies.

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Scientists are making progress in reducing the levels of the potentially cancer-causing acrylamide from foods like potato chips, but reducing its presence in coffee is still a challenge, according to food science experts meeting here at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO®.

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"Food is related to just about every single challenge people have living on this planet," is the perspective of Alton Brown, television personality and author of the popular book, I'm Just Here For The Food, who spoke Sunday at the opening of the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO®, the world's largest annual scientific forum and exposition on food.

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International travel and the global food trade are driving the spread of pathogens resistant to control according to food safety experts assembled here this week. Yet as some bacteria become more difficult to eliminate from food and health concern, American consumers may be putting themselves at risk by the food choices they make.

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Eliminating antibiotic drugs from food animal production may have little positive effect on resistant bacteria that threaten human health, according to the Institute of Food Technologists. In fact, such actions abroad have resulted in more antibiotic use and more resistant bacteria in some cases.

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Prudent use of decontaminants, sanitizers and other antimicrobial treatments in the production and manufacturing of food appears to generate no bacterial resistance of concern to human health. This includes antibacterial soaps for home use, too.

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Amid a climate of worldwide attentiveness to avian influenza, a disease that's resulted in the slaughter of millions of birds and the deaths of more than 100 people, the Institute of Food Technologists will offer later this month expert insight on the issues surrounding this overly anticipated scourge.

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A dash of spice, a pinch of perspective and a dollop of humor promise to enliven the keynote address at this year's Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO®, the world's single largest annual food science meeting and technical exposition of its kind.

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Changes in the infectious traits of germs, their resistance to antibiotic treatments, and even changes within human bodies all can have dire effect on our susceptibility of foodborne illness as a result of the globalization of the food supply.

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Leading food marketing experts put their first-hand knowledge of consumer food buying on display here, Tuesday, June 27, during the Institute of Food Technologists' Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO®.

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Recognizing the importance of focused and intentional efforts for the advancement of food science and technology, the Institute of Food Technologists' 2006 Congressional Support for Science Award will be presented to U.S. Sen. Robert Bennett, of Utah, and U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, of North Carolina.

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Judgment on the widespread use of antimicrobials, including antibiotics, in the production of animals intended for human consumption will headline technical presentations during this year's Institute of Food Technologists' Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO®, the world's largest annual food science forum and exposition, June 24-28.

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Health is going to remain a powerful influence on consumers' food choices in the coming year, as Americans seek out more convenient, better-tasting and more effective food and beverages, according to the latest issue of Food Technology magazine.

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The emerging discipline of nanotechnology holds the promise of improving functional foods and the capability of delivering healthful food compounds to the body where it can utilize them best, according to the latest issue of Food Technology.

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Developments in testing methods and effective risk management are important to the ultimate fate of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies like BSE (Mad Cow Disease).

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Three of every four American adults are eating dinner at home, but preparing it from scratch is now the choice of only one-in-three, and restaurant take-out has overtaken sit-down dining.

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A terror attack against the United States food supply could result in significantly more casualties than caused by 9/11 and cost the economy hundreds of billions of dollars, but research on consumer diet choices and existing food supply systems indicates that terrorists would find it difficult to cripple the nation long-term.

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An effective, coordinated response will be critical to restoring safety and normalcy in the event of a terrorist attack on the U.S. food supply or a large-scale food contamination caused by natural disaster according to research.

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Involving professionals with a great stake in the security of the nation's food supply, the Institute of Food Technologists in conjunction with the National Center for Food Protection and Defense is convening a national research conference in Atlanta.

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Food scientist Dennis R. Heldman, principal of the food science consultancy Heldman Associates of San Marcos, Calif, and professor emeritus at University of Missouri, has been named President-elect of the international not-for-profit scientific society Institute of Food Technologists as determined by a vote of its members.

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Based upon the steadily rising number of bariatric operations performed to combat obesity, decisions to go under the knife in many cases may be made in haste according to diet and health experts.

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Organic foods have been popping up on stores shelves for years, more often now than in the past. But in food service locations there's plenty of room for growth, according to experts recently addressing the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting.

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If 25 people scattered across 20 states became ill after eating food processed at a single site, identifying the link could sometimes be impossible, hence the development of FoodNet, a program being utilized to identify foodborne illness outbreaks and remedy their causes.

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A healthy adult is less likely to contract a foodborne illness than a young child or an aging grandparent. And a pregnant woman, her fetus, and people battling disease are especially sensitive to illnesses that can be transmitted by food.

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Even as shoppers ride out the remnants of the wave of the low-carb craze, concern about fat content in food is the number one issue among the 85 percent of Americans concerned about their diets; this at a time when new research sheds a new look on what's considered a healthy fat.

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High hopes of helping Americans become thinner and healthier through new menu options came up against the hard reality of consumer preferences as foodservice experts dissect the challenges of feeding a nation in the grips of an obesity epidemic.

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Bombarded by sometimes conflicting messages, even about themselves and their own choices, it's no wonder American consumers are confused by what food can or cannot do for them.