IFT to Debut “Kitchen of the Future” in New Orleans

29 May 2014 --- Food professionals from all over the globe will be gathering together at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo, June 21-24. The IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo features the latest food products, the hottest food trends, and the most important developments in the science of food.

This year at the Annual Meeting and Food Expo, IFT will debut a special “Innovation Center” to celebrate IFT’s 75th Anniversary.

•The Innovation Theater: A series of sessions led by food science visionaries uncover how food science and technology could impact our food supply over the next 25 years.
•The “Kitchen of the Future”: Interactive, futuristic food demonstrations and tastings show what food might be like in the future.
Sunday: Talk one-on-one with NASA scientists about their solutions for feeding astronauts on space flights to Mars.
Monday: Meet the filmmakers of the FutureFood 2050 documentary film.
Tuesday: Learn about how plants may be the key to sustainably feeding 9 billion people by 2050.
•Interactive Timeline: Walk through the Innovation Center’s interactive timeline of IFT’s and food science’s major milestones.

Opening General Session: The Opening General Session keynote presentation will feature Doug Rauch, former president of Trader Joe's, on Sunday, June 22, from 8:30-10:15 a.m. Rauch, renowned for growing Trader Joe’s from a small, nine-store chain in Southern California to a nationally acclaimed retail success story with more than 340 stores in 30 states, will share his thoughts about how to feed the world, one healthy, sustainably-sourced meal at a time.

Beacon Lecturers:
•Hod Lipson PhD, Professor of Engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and co-author of the recent book Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing, will describe the disruptive principles underlying 3D printing and their effect, from education to medicine to art to architecture, and from bio-printing to food printing, as well as what the future holds for this technology.
•Jane Karuku, President of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), former Deputy Chief Executive and Secretary General Telkom Kenya, and former Managing Director for East and Central Africa for Cadbury, will speak about the challenges and potential solutions to the critical issue of global food security.

Educational Session Highlights:
•Azodicarbonamide: A Case Study of Perceptions of the Safety of Food Ingredients
•Perspectives on the GMO Debate
•A Deeper Look Into the Post-Trans Fat World
•Millenials: What's On Their Plate?
•Food System Development for Extreme Environments
•Potential of Insects as Food
•The Safety of Spices: Challenges and Opportunities

Additional sessions presented from the following areas:

•Food Safety & Defense
•Food Processing & Packaging
•Product Development & Ingredient Innovations
•Public Policy, Food Laws & Regulations
•Education and Professional Development
•Sensory Science
•Food, Health & Nutrition
•Sustainability
•Food Chemistry
•Food Microbiology
•Food Engineering
Live Streaming:

For those unable to travel to New Orleans, IFT will offer live streams of keynote presenter Doug Rauch, former president of Trader Joe’s, Hot Topic session Perspectives on the GMO Debate, and special Beacon Lecturers Jane Karuku, President of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and Hod Lipson, co-author of the recent book Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing.