Newswise — CHICAGO–The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) today announced the appointment of Ivette Bassa (Mondelēz International) as chair and Brenda Knapp-Polzin (Cargill) as vice-chair of the International Food Science Certification Commission (IFSCC). IFSCC oversees the governance and policy making of the Certified Food Scientist (CFS) program. Additionally, new commissioners Norma Dawkins (Tuskegee) and Gaurav Ghai (FDA) were appointed to serve three-year terms on IFSCC.
IFT debuted the CFS credential in 2013 to recognize the applied scientific knowledge and skills of food scientists. The IFSCC ensures the autonomy of the CFS program and provides appropriate oversight of the certification process. The CFS program governance, exam creation and administration are designed to meet standards of internationally-recognized certification programs – the International Standards Organization (ISO) 17024 standard for personnel certification programs.
“I’m excited to begin working with my fellow commissioners as we continue growing the CFS program in the coming year,” says Bassa. “IFSCC represents a wide variety of backgrounds and expertise in food science and technology, and we will work hard to ensure that professionals and their organizations receive recognition for their contributions to the science of food.”
The CFS program now has more than 1,700 certificants in 866 organizations from 55 countries around the world. These include ingredient and consumer package goods companies, universities, consultancies, government agencies, and many more. All 16 of the 2015 Fortune 500 companies categorized as either Beverage or Food Consumer Goods companies have Certified Food Scientists on staff.
In order to obtain a CFS, a candidate must meet the eligibility requirements and take an exam. The program itself complements both academic and work experience, and ultimately, helps demonstrate the profession’s commitment to safe, nutritious and plentiful food for consumers.
IFT would like to thank outgoing chair Douglas Marshall (Eurofins) and fellow outgoing commissioners James Smith (Biotech), Demetris Crum (Kraft Heinz), and Pam Coleman (Biofortis) for their leadership and service on the commission. Please visit http://www.ift.org/certification/about-the-commission.aspx to learn more about IFSCC.
View a list of all the certificantsLearn more about the CFS certificationHear what others have to say about CFS
About IFTFounded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists is committed to advancing the science of food. Our non-profit scientific society—more than 17,000 members from more than 95 countries—brings together food scientists, technologists and related professionals from academia, government and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org.
RSS