From the President and IFST News
At a Glance
Section titled âAt a Glanceâ| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2022-06-01 |
| Journal | Food Science and Technology |
| Authors | Helen Munday |
| Citations | 1 |
Abstract
Section titled âAbstractâSpringtime always sees plenty of activity in the IFST calendar. This year the AGM was at the end of March, where we take necessary and important decisions that support the governance of the Institute, but also where we have the opportunity of acknowledging the changes to our Board. We say thanks to those members who are outgoing and have done so much for IFST and also confirm the appointment and welcome those who are incoming. We have four new trustees joining the Board this year including President Elect Sterling Crew. Much of our engagement is now âremote/electronicâ procedures, which included, for the first time this year, the President-Elect ballot and, indeed, the AGM itself. It is good to see the numbers of members who can engage in such important processes increasing as a result - good democratic governance in action! It was also very gratifying to see the strength of the field putting themselves forward for President Elect and I hope this is a sign of the ambition many members have for IFST. Whilst online engagement has many benefits, by the time this volume of the Journal is in print, many of us will have met in Birmingham for the SC22 Conference Lunch and Lecture. Our Spring Conference (SC22) is a much-welcomed staple of our calendar. We took the difficult decision many months ago that holding SC22 itself in person was probably still not a viable proposition, but the opportunity to have a face to face âcompanionâ event seemed like a good option. We hope that accommodating the needs of everyone is something we can continue to do, whilst adapting to the changing environment. The theme of this issue is âFuture Foodsâ. Whilst IFST has a major role to play in ensuring the safety and so much more, of todayâs food, the opportunities to âinvent our futureâ is what gets many of our members out of bed in the morning! I think it is safe to say, that there will be something for everyone in this edition. In talking to members, we know that this publication is one of most valued benefits of IFST membership. So, as we head into summer I wonder if we might indulge in a little fun! Where do you like to read your Journal? If you would like to share, why not join me in posting on the community pages: community.ifst.org/ IFST has elected Sterling Crew as its new President-Elect. Sterlingâs election was formally noted during IFSTâs Annual General Meeting on 31 March 2022. Of his appointment, Sterling said: âIt is a great pleasure and privilege to be elected to be the next President of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, especially as the selection was by my professional peers. The IFST is a fantastic organisation with a marvellous membership at its very heart. I pledge to play my part in adding further value to membership and promoting the organisationâs worthy charitable aims. This is an exciting time for IFST as we approach our 60th Diamond Jubilee and with chartership potentially on the horizon. Food science and technology has a major part to play in our countryâs future in these very challenging times. The food sector has responded by developing innovative solutions and creative products. The role our members play has never been more important.â Sterling Crew Honorary Fellow and FIFST is an experienced food sector director who currently holds a portfolio of positions including Chair of the Food Authenticity Network. Find out more about Sterling here: ifst.org/president-elect22 Sterling will serve as President- Elect for one year before being automatically elected as President and Chair of the Board of Trustees in 2023 for a term of three years. Meet our Board of Trustees here: ifst.org/meet-board IFST has reviewed its Code of Professional Conduct and its accompanying Disciplinary Procedures that apply to all its members. The Code of Professional Conduct - which members are bound by - remains unchanged but IFSTâs Board approved minor changes to the Disciplinary Procedures to clarify the use of electronic communications, confidentiality requirements and ensure any member against whom a complaint was upheld had adequate time to lodge an appeal. The updated procedures which came into force on 7 April 2022 are available on our website: ifst.org/about-ifst/professional-conduct In March 2022, IFST was invited to attend and exhibit at IFE Manufacturing at ExCeL London. We were given a stand in the âAsk the expertâ zone. IFE Manufacturing is a gigantic exhibition, itâs an international food and drink event, which brought together ingredients, packaging, processing and food technology companies to showcase their solutions to manufacturers from all over the UK. The event was an opportunity for the food and drink manufacturing industry to discover, learn and source the latest products from the best suppliers in the market. At IFST weâre always looking at new ways to expand our membership and provide a benefit to the whole of the food sector, no matter how big or small the business. We went to IFE to meet new food businesses and to introduce IFST to a new audience who may have not heard of us before. IFE provided IFST with a great opportunity to reconnect with current members, meet potential new industry-based members and understand some of the challenges facing the food sector through the thought-provoking presentations and seminars provided throughout the show. The geographical coverage, category span and quality of the exhibitors was impressive and provided interesting (and tasty!) insights into where food products are heading next. Each day, three or four members of the IFST executive team represented IFST at our stand, including Deborah Kendale, Andrew Gardner, Delia Mertoiu, Sarah Drumm, Mariam Zaki, Daiane Cazuza, Patricia Florit and Robin Leaper. Despite being at the back of the expo, we received a good number of visitors who all had interesting questions for us and lots of enquiries about IFST membership and what it comprises. We were also approached by a lot of new product developers and new businesses looking for support for their endeavours. It was interesting to see the breadth of producers and the strong focus on sustainability, using waste products, innovation and current trends in the food sector. We were delighted to meet our current members at the expo, who came over to our stand each day. The geographical coverage, category span and quality of the exhibitors was impressive and provided interesting (and tasty!) insights into where food products are heading next. I was delighted to be invited by IFE Manufacturing to chair one of the NPD sessions titled From kitchen table to factory floor. This took place on the Innovation Platform on the opening day. It was the first of two back to back sessions examining the NPD process and how to get products from the idea and concept stage through to a fully manufactured product. This session focused on the early development process and highlighted some of the common roadblocks and key considerations that need to be addressed during the initial stages of a development project. Andrew Gardner and Patricia Florit at the IFST stand We drew a large audience (including more IFST members), with every seat in the auditorium taken. There were some great questions from the audience - and we kept going even when the set behind us collapsed mid-session! The panel gave some sound advice about how to get started and how to protect your ideas. We discussed how to make sure products are legal and safe, how to find partners for co-manufacturing and signposted the audience to other resources available to help at this early stage of development. It was a great pleasure to chair this session, and to work with such an experienced and knowledgeable panel of IFST Fellows. One of the many great benefits of being a member of IFST is having access to a wide network of food industry experts. Thank you to IFE Manufacturing for inviting me to take part and for a great show. It was great to finally meet people face to face after two years! There was certainly a buzz about the place. Three big trends were very evident throughout the show: vegan, environment and health. Without a doubt vegan products and meat alternatives are starting to move into mainstream, with new products using mainstream flavours and targeting everyday eating occasions. Many of the companies were keen to talk about their environmental credentials. I saw a cereal carton made from agricultural waste rather than wood pulp, that had the same look and feel as carton. There were also a number of businesses advertising that they use no plastic bags for their snack products. From a hero ingredient perspective, I noticed that seaweed is entering the savoury snack market, highlighting its health benefits. Also, there were a lot of dried fruit snacks as alternatives to more traditional snack products. The panel discussion on The National Food Strategy between the Food Foundation, Compass Group, Guyâs and St Thomasâ Foundation and Mission Ventures was notable. Apart from reiterating the importance of and need to take action, the panellists shared the fact that Tesco and JS have agreed to report on how much of the food they sell is âhealthierâ products. If you missed the panel discussion From kitchen table to factory floor, there is a recording available on the IFE website to watch on demand: web ifemanufacturing.co.uk/seminar-programme Join IFST ifst.org/membership Prof Robin May delivering the SC22 lecture On 25 April, at University College Birmingham, Professor Robin May, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Food Standards Agency, pictured above, gave his talk to a group of members, speakers and friends of IFST at our preconference lunch and lecture. He opened by stating that eating is one of the few universal human behaviours and that trust in food is critical and is underpinned by science. However, science is becoming more complicated and harder to explain, and becomes increasingly challenging especially around foods that are not yet on the market, but will be, in the future. For context, May indicated that food shopping is habitual and purchasing takes on average six to nine seconds. Reading a product label fully would take many minutes and therefore messaging on labels is often not the best way to communicate information. The challenge is to combine a high level of science and communication about risk with a digestible, easy to compute output. He commented that the FSA has a very strong science and evidence based position. Good science communication is critical and risk must be communicated effectively for people to understand this. He highlighted the FSA has a very high trust rating of 75% of people trusting the FSA and nine out of 10 consumers in the UK are confident in the safety of the food they eat. This is partly due to a strong emphasis on clear communication, such as the food hygiene rating system, which 87% of the population are aware of and over 50% state they have used within the last year. In terms of behaviours, people underestimate long term risks, such as those around smoking and obesity, and act accordingly. Using percentages to communicate risks is effective but even more effective is the use of real-world frequencies e.g. âone-in-20 peopleâ. Translating these into graphics is attractive but the danger is that nuance and detail can be lost with the example of using just green and red traffic light symbols. We need to change the food system to cope with sustainability and health impacts, for the planet and a healthy population. Part of this is the need to advise people on new foods that are coming to market. Prof May stated that his passion is being ready to communicate these necessary changes to the public and the implications they will have on peoplesâ diets and food choices. Examples of new foods were insects, lab grown meat, novel crops e.g. chia seeds and, finally, genetically modified (GM) and genetically edited (GE) crops that are being, or will be introduced, to tackle challenges in agriculture, such as drought tolerance and vitamin yield. We need to be able to communicate the benefits of these foods if they are to be accepted by the general public. May also mentioned changes to packaging types and systems. Both these developments are innovations which the public welcome. However, innovators are viewed with greater suspicion, as they are often perceived as being driven by commercial gain. In terms of opinions and behaviours - people state they are driven by ethical choices, such as animal welfare and sustainability, but are, in reality, driven by price, when it comes to choices and shopping habits. To be effective communicators, we need to work with human behaviour and develop a balance between ethical choices and real world drivers that determine food choice behaviours. Attendees at the lecture Day 1 on The Gap in Consumer Understanding began with Jon Alexanderâs presentation on The Power of Citizenship. He poignantly began with some food for thought that overuse of the word âconsumerâ is fundamentally flawed. To reshape the way in which we collectively interact as humans, we must focus on the concept of âcitizensâ. Next, Tom Sheldon at the Science Media Centre delivered a selection of case studies. He advocates for businesses to support senior scientists in engaging with the press, believing this connection is the way forward to help the public separate fact from fiction. The day ended with a panel discussion exploring how we can build trust in consumers. Michelle Patel (FSA) remarked that as scientists we need a âshift in how we communicateâ. The emerging themes were consistency, courage, honesty and humility. Day 2 on The Gap in Skills and Professional Development began with another panel discussion on new and future skills, with Jacinta George succinctly explaining, âthe skills weâll need in 20 years need to be developed nowâ. The group discussed key future skills crucial to the food industry including AI, robotics and green skills, as well as soft skills like resilience, flexibility and compassion. Attendees saw Andras Sebok present a Digital Skills case study using an EIT Food competency framework on Campden BRI Hungary. He discussed âIndustry 4.0â, which refers to a new phase in the industrial revolution focusing on interconnectivity, automation, machine learning and real-time data. Finally, speakers from CAFRE and Linden Foods presented the positive impacts that apprenticeship schemes have had in Northern Ireland. We heard a personal account from Lewis Connelly, a NPD Technologist at Linden Foods, who started a High Level Apprenticeship (HLA) with CAFRE. Day 3 began with an inspiring presentation on early stage NPD with Sarah Gaunt. The concept of âfront-end innovationâ was introduced and the developmental stages in the early-product pipeline covering ideation, identification, application, selection and incubation were explored. Following this, Lucia Capogna spoke about cyber-security. Examples of food industry cyber-attacks in recent years were presented and Lucia closed with the final thought that âno system is 100% secureâ, but with the right knowledge 90% of cyber-attacks can be prevented (see p46). Next, Tom Hollands presented the digital sandwich, a technology that digitises food production processes and creates a âgolden threadâ from farm to fork, tracing ingredients back to the source. Tom used a fictional example of grey ham identified in a shop sandwich to track an ingredientâs journey. Missed SC22? As a paid attendee, you have access to our Conference platform, Whova, for three months where you can watch all of the conference sessions and the lecture recording. Starting from mid-June, as a member of IFST, you can watch all the recordings in our IFST Webinar hub via ifst.org/webinars Across the world 90% of people are meat eaters and global consumption of meat is rising. 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