Get Ready for the IFT Show: June 6-10 in Anaheim, Calif.

The food & beverage industry’s annual festival of ingredients – better known as the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo – will be June 6-9 in Anaheim, Calif. The sponsor, Institute of Food Technologists, promises its usual mix of trade show, technical sessions, keynote addresses and networking.

It will be interesting to see how the economy and the far-west location affect this show, which usually draws 20,000 attendees when it’s in centrally located Chicago. With the original Disneyland nearby, Anaheim does offer some interesting diversions.

The event actually begins on June 5 with some pre-show short courses, focusing on such technical subjects as “Descriptive analysis in sensory evaluation” and “Microencapsulation in food applications.” Some of them carry continuing education credits.

The annual meeting gets started on June 6 with a day full of association activities, including the International Food Nanoscience Conference and the evening’s networking reception.

Sunday, June 7, begins with early morning scientific sessions, a 10 a.m. keynote address and the opening of the food-ingredient expo at noon. The show floor is then open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday (June 9).

That Sunday morning keynote will be “What’s next? The current economy and the future of food.” Economists Todd Buchholz and Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig will examine current economic and policy issues affecting the food industry and what companies can do to maintain their position and/or prepare for success in this changing economic and political environment.

Some new sessions this year include a session on “Transformative research” and one on intellectual property exchange. The show floor includes new and old favorites, such as a Sustainability Pavilion, IFT/Research Chefs Assn. Culinology demonstrations and a session highlighting winners of the Food Expo Innovation Awards.

A more detailed story will be our May issue. Also see www.am-fe.ift.org.