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IFT Returns To New Orleans With Volunteer Programs

April 29, 2008
Three years after just beating Hurricane Katrina, the Institute of Food Technologists returns to New Orleans with volunteer programs to aid the city.
Additional Information
IFT Cares about New Orleans
IFT Schedule
IFT 2008 Floorplan

The previous time the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) held its annual meeting and food expo in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina tore through the area one month later. One of the most interesting facets of this year’s show will be simply seeing how that charming city has fared since then.

New Orleans is not back to its pre-Katrina form and may never be. But three years is a long time, and the tourist areas of New Orleans – both the Ernest Morial Convention Center and the nearby French Quarter – probably will look no different to the 22,000 food industry professionals from around the globe who are expected for IFT 08.

The annual meeting and food expo will be June 28-July 1 at the Morial Convention Center. At least during the days, attendees – most of them in research, product development and associated scientific/technical positions -- will be concentrating on the latest developments in scientific research, technologies, new products and consumer trends. What they do on Bourbon Street after dark is their own business. However, there’s a full program, with many early morning activities, to keep them on reasonably good behavior.

Scientific Program Tracks

With more than 200 educational sessions and some 1,400 presentations, there’s never a shortage of information at these annual meetings. For the first time, symposia, workshops, panel discussions and roundtables have been categorized into the following tracks to help attendees plan efficiently. Tracks include:
• Science fundamentals
• Applied science
• New products and technologies
• Student programming
• Professional and business development

Pre-show activities start Friday, June 27, with day-long short courses and an evening International Food Nanoscience Conference. Saturday is devoted to association business: committee meetings, a career fair, the annual awards dinner and networking reception. The real conference program and expo start Sunday, June 29, with the keynote address at 9 a.m. Tom Kelley is a best-selling author (his most recent book is The Ten Faces of Innovation) and the general manager of Ideo, the design and development firm that designed such cutting-edge products as the Apple mouse and the Palm V. He’s expected to emphasize how everyone in an organization can contribute creatively to a project, and that innovation can be made a cultural way of life in an organization.

Immediately following the keynote, the expo begins. The show floor will be open 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Some 900 exhibitors – with a heavy emphasis on ingredients, but also representing equipment, services, software and other technologies -- will fill 200,000 sq. ft. of the Morial Convention Center. A special emphasis of this year’s programming will be how innovation can assist both business growth and environmental sustainability. There will be more than 50 sessions addressing that theme. Some are: - Sustainable Fermented Food and Beverage Practices - Assessing the Sustainability of Packages Designed for Food - Environmental and Sustainability Product Labeling

But there also are more traditional sessions found at an IFT show:

  • Global Regulations on Nutraceutical and Functional Food Industries
  • Probiotics, Prebiotics, & Synbiotics: Translating Research into Healthful and Appealing Products
  • Colloidal and Nanoparticle Systems for Improving Food Quality
  • Cold Plasma – An Emerging Technology for Food Processing

There will be daily Supplier Solution Sessions, in which vendors will talk in depth about their products, services or solutions, right on the expo floor. Some of this year’s planned sessions are on fiber ingredients, salt reduction/flavor enhancement, proteins (dairy, soy, grain, etc.), heart health, and weight management and satiety. Some of the specialty areas at the show and meeting include:

  • Specialty pavilions (Healthy food ingredients, Organic ingredients, Food safety and quality, and International) 
  • Culinology demonstrations, where food science meets cuisine, cosponsored by the Research Chefs Assn.
  • Global New Products, by Mintel
  • Taste the Trend, by Innova
  • Employment bureau – designed for both job seekers and employers
  • Town Hall Meeting – All IFT members may participate in a forum about the association’s future.

There also are four technical field trips: to Motavit Seafoods, Chef John Folse & Co.’s manufacturing plant, Community Coffee Co.’s manufacturing facility and Kleinpeter Farms Dairy. All are first-come, first-served ticketed events with additional fees. Register at www.am-fe.ift.org.

IFT Cares about New Orleans

Food and New Orleans seem to go together. As a result, that city has hosted several past IFT shows. In appreciation of those great experiences, and mindful of New Orleans’ continuing need for assistance, IFT has some special charitable events planned for this year’s Annual Meeting & Food Expo.

IFT will partner with Second Harvest of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, a member of America’s Second Harvest—the Nation’s Food Bank Network, for a number of volunteer activities primarily before and after the actual show. IFT asks attendees, as they register for the meeting and expo, to also  sign up for these volunteer activities by selecting a time slot on the “IFT Cares About New Orleans” online registration page or by including your selection in the Optional Ticketed Events section on the registration form.

Activities include:

  • Sort unmarketable (yet safe and nutritious) surplus grocery items such as close code dates; dented cans or damaged boxed food; mislabeled product; and fruits and vegetables not harvested by farmers.
  • Repack donated food products into cases to be distributed to member agencies and the needy families they serve. 
  • Stuff backpacks with ready-to-eat meals and snacks for school children at risk of hunger, to help needy families bridge the gaps over weekends and holidays and until access to federal breakfast and lunch programs resumes. 
  • Travel with the Second Harvest Mobile Pantry to deliver food directly to needy families in their communities.

“Make time in your schedule to improve the lives of underserved New Orleans residents and leave a lasting impact on the city and its people,” IFT exhorts in its show promotional materials. Scheduled activities are: Saturday, June 28 7 a.m.–noon: Mobile pantry 8 a.m.–noon: Repack and sort 12:30–4:30 p.m.: Repack and sort Wednesday, July 2 7 a.m.–noon: Mobile pantry 8 a.m.–noon: Repack and sort Those who cannot volunteer time can contribute a cash donation at the registration area, the Networking Reception or at the Second Harvest donation stations.

IFT Schedule

Sunday, June 29
9–10:45 a.m.: Keynote session
11 a.m.–5:30 p.m.: Show floor open
11 a.m.: First-time attendee orientation
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: IFT/RCA Culinology demonstration
2–3:30 p.m.: Scientific sessions
2–5:30 p.m.: Poster sessions
3:30–5:30 p.m.: “Taste for Science” reception
4–5:30 p.m.: Scientific sessions

Monday, June 30
6:30–7:30 a.m.: IFTSA and IFT Foundation Fun Run
8:30–10 a.m.: Scientific sessions
8:30–10 a.m.: Theme general session
8:30 a.m.–noon: Poster sessions
10:30 a.m.–noon: Scientific sessions
11:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.: Show floor open
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: IFT/RCA Culinology demonstration
11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.: Supplier solution session
1:15–2:30 p.m.: Supplier solution session
2–3:30 p.m.: Scientific sessions
2–5:30 p.m.: Poster sessions
3–4:15 p.m.: Supplier solution session
3:30–5:30 p.m.: “Taste for Science” reception
4–5:30 p.m.:  Scientific sessions
7–8 p.m.: Student Association welcome assembly

Tuesday, July 1
8:30–10 a.m.: Scientific sessions
8:30 – 10:00 a.m. Food Technology trend panel
8:30 a.m.–noon: Poster sessions
10:30 a.m.–noon: Scientific sessions
11:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.: Show floor open
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: IFT/RCA Culinology demonstration
11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.: Supplier solution session
1:15–2:30 p.m.: Supplier solution session
2–3:30 p.m.: Scientific sessions
2–5:30 p.m.: Poster sessions
4–5:30 p.m.: Scientific sessions
5:30–6:30 p.m.: Phi Tau Sigma Student Awards reception

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