Food challenges are common globally: skills boss

Issues around food sustainability, security and safety have a “commonality”​, but variations in legislation and advances in technology meant regions were addressing them differently, IFST chief executive Jon Poole said in this exclusive interview with FoodManufacture.co.uk.

The universality of the problems faced by the food industry was Poole’s key take home message from this year’s Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo – held in Las Vegas in June.

Co-operating ‘very well’​

Poole used the interview to praise the resources at the IFT, while pointing out that the IFST was co-operating “very well”​ with the US-based institute.

He gave particular mention to how the respective student associations at both institutes were working together more closely.

“The IFT’s Student Association has been very active for a number of years. Our Student Group has only been around for a couple of years, but it’s already pretty active. The great thing is that the two organisations are now starting to talk to each other.”​

Two student members​

Reflecting this, the IFST brought two of its student members to IFT17 to participate in activities around the event.

In this exclusive video interview​, FoodManufacture.co.uk spoke to Reading University students Alice Nield and Alice Bryant about how visiting the event brought their university lectures alive and helped them make valuable connections with food industry students worldwide.

Meanwhile, read how new IFT president Cindy Stewart wants to build a global community of food scientists by ordering a copy of the September issue​ of Food Manufacture.