From the Chief Executive and IFST News
2022; Wiley; Volume: 36; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1002/fsat.3604_3.x
ISSN2689-1816
Autores Tópico(s)Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease
ResumoI am delighted to have joined IFST as Chief Executive. It is a privilege to be joining the Institute at such an exciting time. I am very grateful to Jon Poole who has so kindly helped me in settling into the role and I wish to start by paying tribute to him and all of his sustained hard work leading the growth and development of the organisation. As well as my first degree in Medicinal Chemistry and a career leading voluntary sector organisations, I bring the experience of leading the rapid growth of the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation from start-up to national high-profile charity. This included the UK-wide implementation of Natasha's Law, and defining and funding the pioneering Natasha Clinical Trial to enable food allergy oral immunotherapy to be available on the NHS within five years. I recognise the importance of IFST's work on allergens and look forward to the FSA's publication of the results of its consultation on Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL). IFST's response to this is only one area of the Institute's extensive work in which I have a significant interest. Some of you may know that Past President Tom McLachlan collected and curated a historic library on food science and technology. After a number of years of it being inaccessible, Jon Poole arranged for it to be made available to our members by housing it in our Hammersmith office. This is available today to view by appointment. I would like to share with you that as I arrived for interview I was shown to the ‘McLachlan Library’. I was astonished to find that not only was the spelling of the surname the same but that it was named after Tom, which happens to be the name of my son! While I cannot trace a direct lineage to our library's creator, he was a member of my clan. So I am a second T McLachlan added to the IFST family. My first month in post has been eventful with many highlights including the annual lecture given by Professor Tim Spector. Tim gave a very interesting and thought-provoking lecture about his research into personalised nutrition. His new book The Food of Life has recently been featured in the Sunday Times magazine (see page 18). We recorded the lecture and were delighted to welcome three branches who joined us virtually. You can watch the lecture in our event and webinar recordings: youtu.be/xkkb99V38sU and I encourage you to do so. Following the lecture I greatly enjoyed meeting many members in person. At the lecture I asked each attendee to consider what is their ‘I’ in IFST. What is their involvement and what matters to them about IFST. From saying ‘I am a member, I am a Trustee, I am a Corporate Sponsor, I am a Committee Member’, to ‘I am a Student or I am a Past President’, your I is personal to you and that is what I wish to enhance and grow. I would like to deepen the involvement each member has with IFST as we each strive to inspire excellence and trust in food. I look forward to meeting you at a future event and invite you to contact me directly at: [email protected] The Institute has been awarding its prestigious Honorary Fellowship since 1966, the first being awarded to Professor J.D Mounfield, one of IFST's founders. From 2022 the board has agreed to widen the award to recognise and celebrate the huge contribution of our very finest and most dedicated food professionals, both in the UK and beyond. We now accept two categories of nominations: Category 1 Nominations of IFST professional members for their contribution to the Institute and to the food science and technology profession Category 2 New category – Nominations of individuals for their contribution to the food science and technology profession and the wider food sector. Category 2 may be an IFST professional member, but we are also looking to recognise outstanding professionals who are not currently IFST members. More info here: ifst.org/awards/honorary-fellowship Congratulations to HuiQi Yeo, a PhD Student from the University of Reading, who has won our Science Communication Competition with an article titled Net Zero: Restoring balance on Earth This competition provided students with an opportunity to practise their science communication skills by answering the question: ‘Innovations that drive the food industry towards Net Zero: What ingredient/packaging/technology/app/machinery is helping drive the industry towards our Net Zero Goal?’ in the form of an innovative and engaging article. HuiQi Yeo's winning article is reproduced at the end of IFST News on page 17. Sterling Crew, President Elect of IFST, spoke to Jon Poole, our out-going Chief Executive Officer, on his reflections and insights over his 12 years as head of IFST. I was initially aware of IFST through my interactions over a joint publication of event listings between IFST and Society of Chemical Industry called Yellow Pages – some of our longer-term members will remember this! At the time I was Deputy Chief Executive of SCI and I must admit I saw IFST as a much smaller organisation than SCI. When I look back at my research to apply for the Chief Executive role, I thought food, as a topic, was going to be a much narrower focus than chemistry – little did I realise how vast and impactful the topic of food science and technology actually is. An initial goal was to turn around the falling membership numbers. I have been so pleased to have seen us double membership from 1750 to around 3400 members during this time. This, in itself, has resulted in a more energised and active membership. But the changes aren't just about membership numbers. We are now a far more externally-facing organisation – meeting regularly with key government departments as well as being known and respected by a wider group of stakeholders. We've seen the launch of the Food Safety Register, the growth of new Group Schemes, and the launch of our Food Science Fact Sheets aimed at the consumer and degree course accreditation. We now have six well-established Subject Interest Groups and, of course, deliver very many more online activities and webinars. In 2010 we were just contemplating how to support students – this is now a reality with some fantastic events to support and encourage our next generation of food professionals. All of the above are, for me, highlights. Each was another step forward for the Institute. Personally, though, I was thrilled when we hosted the House of Lords reception to launch our Register of Food Safety Professionals during our Golden Jubilee year. One of the biggest challenges, has been having to say ‘no’ to new opportunities – the executive team will say I'm not good at this! There's always so much more we could be doing and it's sometimes frustrating not being able to do everything. Of course, in the last few years, we've had the challenges of the pandemic and having to adapt (as have all other businesses) to a new way of working. In reality, this has forced us into a very effective way of working. Committee meetings (whilst less sociable) are far easier to organise and attend online, rather than having to force people to travel half-way across the country to join. And, of course, we have been able to host so many excellent webinars – far more than we could have put on as face-to-face meetings. When I started, I received a lot of feedback that our membership benefits were too well-hidden. We have worked hard to enhance our benefits and, at the same time make them clearer. Our webinars – often free to members – are an excellent way for people to enhance their professional knowledge. The launch of our IFST Community a couple of years ago now means members can freely talk to each other – sharing their ideas and knowledge. I have been very pleased to see the way the Institute now engages with a very wide range of stakeholders. A lot of this has been made possible through the appointment of a new Scientific Policy Director role. Working with our External Affairs Committee and key Scientific Committee members, we now hold regular discussion meetings with government departments including the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland and Defra. Tim is going to be joining at a really busy time. The Board has approved several key projects, which are designed to move IFST to a whole new level of activity and engagement. We are just starting Project Inspire, aimed at redeveloping our Love Food Love Science website to become a single portal for food careers resources. In addition, we're about to pilot a new ‘Approved Training Provider’ scheme. We will also be delivering a whole new customer relationship management system, which will hopefully significantly enhance the way members can interact with the Institute. I see two main challenges – firstly, the immediacy of the looming economic crisis. The next few months are going to be tough for everyone, but the wider challenges facing the food sector have to be opportunities for the Institute. The impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created some big challenges in terms of ensuring the continuity of the food supply chain – this is already on top of disruptions caused by Brexit and COVID. At the same time, we need to look at how we deliver food in sustainable ways and with minimal impact on the environment. And let's not forget the growing pressures of poor nutrition and accessibility to affordable food. These are all massive challenges and absolutely where IFST should be working to support food professionals in finding and disseminating solutions. Late last year we held an Extraordinary General Meeting to approve our petition for Chartership and draft Charter. You may be wondering why it's all gone so quiet. Since this time, we submitted our petition and have been waiting to hear back from the Privy Council. We warned at the time that this was likely to be a long process. We are now hopeful that we will move to the next stage of the process in the next few weeks – the public consultation. I had really hoped to see this through during my time as Chief Executive but hope you will invite me back to celebrate as and when we gain our chartered status! There's no doubt that the most enjoyable and rewarding part of the role has been being involved in encouraging our next generation of food professionals. We devised and ran our Student Career LaunchPads initially jointly with Campden BRI and, since then we have also created and run the UK finals of Ecotrophelia, our Dragons Den-style NPD competition. It gives everyone in the food sector who participates a real buzz! That's easy, because I say this to all the attendees at our LaunchPad events each year. Firstly, open your minds to all the options available to you in the food sector – they are vast! Secondly, get involved in activities which will give you things to talk about on your CV – become a Student Member of IFST and then get involved. Thirdly, grow your network – the people you are studying with today will become your network of the future. Going back a few years, professional membership institutes were often seen as old and crusty and rather inaccessible, austere scientific bodies. But this has certainly not been the case for IFST and for other, more forward-thinking institutes. We have to keep changing – in particular, we have to remain responsive and totally relevant to the needs of those we are there to support (not just members). The next generation of food professionals will need and demand a very different offering to that which we have provided in the past and using channels of communication which are far more immediate. Those organisations which remain responsive and nimble will flourish – those that don't will sadly not survive. It's been particularly rewarding to have seen the growth and coherence of our Special Interest Groups. We now have six, very solid and purposeful SIGs, supported by Natasha, our Scientific Affairs Manager. Much of our webinar outputs has been delivered thanks to the work of our SIGs – I would also like to mention the work of our Branches – we now have eight Branches – a new Wales Branch has just been created. This is such a difficult question to answer – I am proud of the way IFST is regarded and, of course, proud of all our achievements over the years. We've remained financially sound and we have very strong governance. All of this has been possible thanks to all of those who have worked as part of the IFST team over the years but also because of the incredible energy, passion and commitment of our most active members. To me, good governance is critical to the effective running of an organisation – not just a necessary hurdle to jump. I therefore don't see it as a challenge. During the last twelve years, I have been so very gifted to have worked with some amazing board members and to have worked for exceptional presidents (six in total!), who have been focused on working within sound governance principals – but at the same time, prepared to push the boundaries in terms of our vision and strategy. I'm pleased to say I won't be leaving the food sector completely as I am still Chair of the SALSA board – an organisation that I remain passionate about. But many will know that, for the past few years, I have been working part-time in my IFST role and for the rest of my time I have been running my organisational and leadership development consultancy. I intend to now focus my time on this and hopefully this may then lead me back into the food sector in another guise! Thank you for sharing your interesting experiences and insights Jon. On behalf of the membership may I wish you all the very best for the future and a big thank you for your amazing contribution. In this article Alastair MacGregor explores why an organisation, such as IFST, might want to collect equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data and how this might be used. IFST, like all other professional bodies, is aware of the importance of a growing and engaged membership, as illustrated by IFST's ambitions within Project 4000 (which aims to increase IFST membership to 4000+ by 2023). While this may support the Institute's longevity, it has the added benefit, if undertaken correctly, of facilitating a broader and more diverse membership pool, which can support capable, innovative and skilled professionals, who represent and serve their specialist areas of the food science and technology sector. It is hoped that by doing this, the Institute can increase the diversity of its membership, make access to and progression within the profession more equitable, and ensure that IFST activities are relevant, engaging and inclusive. All professional bodies, including IFST, collect member information to deliver value to their members and the industry. Member data helps the Institute speak about its membership to industry, the media, legislators and policymakers, and people considering a career in food science and technology. As demonstrated by Project 4000 and Project Inspire1, IFST is committed to ensuring that current and future members feel that they are part of a thriving, inclusive and diverse professional community that promotes the development of professionals, who desire to establish and uphold professional standards. This can only be achieved by understanding the barriers to entry, achievement, progression and representation that many people face daily. Because we know that different people encounter different barriers, without access to data that tells us more about our members’ backgrounds, experiences and identities, our assumptions about the nature and impact of these barriers remain just that – assumptions. We cannot be sure that we truly represent the needs of all IFST members. Until we have definitive data, we are just guessing. As a professional institution, IFST is a signatory to the Science Council's Declaration on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, which states ‘By living the values of equality, diversity and inclusion, and critically assessing and acknowledging the inequalities that exist, the Science Council and its member bodies will create greater opportunity for any individual to fulfil their scientific potential, irrespective of their background or circumstances. In so doing it will also help science to better serve society by attracting the widest possible talent to the science workforce and fostering a greater diversity of scientific ideas, research and technology2.’ IFST collects members’ personal data that allows it to identify them and communicate with them. This might include their name, contact details, organisation name and details, job title, membership grade, age, sex, education levels, qualification records, areas of professional interest, and bank and payment details. supplemented with information requests relating to membership category and IFST activity. Membership engagement with the process was disappointingly low, perhaps due to the timing of the survey, a lack of communications relating to the purpose, and members not viewing this as a priority area to progress. Data protection legislation requires organisations, such as IFST, to collect and process data only for specified, explicit, legitimate purposes. These are linked to IFST being a signatory to the Science Council Declaration. Analysis and findings will inform the Institute's understanding and knowledge of the diversity and experiences of its membership, i.e. establish an evidence base for activities, policies and practice. This is important as it will help assess whether these policies and practices are equitable and fair and do not disproportionately affect different groups; it will also ensure that IFST effectively supports and engages with members. Additionally, data analysis will help inform the Institute's internal approach to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. IFST will use the Science Council Diversity and Inclusion Progression Framework3 to assess and monitor progress on diversity and inclusion and report annually to the IFST Board and members on progress, and use benchmarking to identify performance gaps, seek new improvements and adopt good practices. We recognise that this data and analysis will also be helpful to employers and other stakeholders looking to support the development of a diverse, well-resourced food science and technology workforce. The next EDI article will look at the role of the IFST Board of Trustees in relation to EDI. Alastair MacGregor, IFST Trustee (Chair of Education) and Trustee champion for EDI Charles Brennen, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Food Science and Technology, has announced the appointment of 17 emerging international scientists as Honorary Associate Editors for IJFST. He welcomed the new editors commenting ‘it is a wonderful pleasure to receive submissions from around the world to lead the future of publishing in food science and technology and create authentic impact, which will resonate for many years to come; this speaks to the fact that we serve a truly global community. ‘One of the things that everyone at IJFST feels is that we are part of an international family, and we aspire to celebrate the success of researchers across the globe. As a family, we also wish to nurture and mentor emerging research leaders of the future. ‘This is why I am passionate about the new initiative of bringing young academics into our family as Honorary Associate Editors of the journal. We are aiming to bridge the gap between research and applications, foster a new way of publishing within the journal, and celebrate the impact of food science and technology without any boundaries of nationalities.’ The new Honorary Associate Editors for IJFST are: Dr Elisa De Arcangelis is a researcher at the Faculty of Science and Technology for Human and Environment, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Italy Dr Talita Comunian is a fellow in the Research Leaders 2025 programme cofounded by Teagasc and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement Dr Ajay S. Desai is currently working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science (Fish Processing) Technology, College of Fisheries Science, Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Agricultural University, Ratnagiri (M.S), India Dr Daniela Freitas is a Marie SkłodowskaCurie Individual Fellow working at the intersection between Food Science, Nutrition and Health in Teagasc (Ireland) Dr Cennet Pelin Boyaci Gunduz works as Dr Research Assistant at the Department of Food Engineering, Adana Alparslan Turkes Science and Technology University, Adana, Turkey Professor Yu Fu, College of Food Science, Southwest University, No.2 Tiansheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China Dr Ren-You Gan, Chief Scientist at the Research Center for Plants and Human Health, Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Dr Jing Hong, College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China Dr Sandeep Jagtap is a Lecturer at Cranfield University, UK Dr Dapeng Li, Associate Professor, College of Food Sciences & Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, China Dr Julia Low, Lecturer/Early Career Development Fellow in Nutrition and Food Technology, Digital Innovations in Nutrition and Eating (DINE) Lab, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia Dr Jessica Pandohee is a Research Fellow within the Cardiometabolic Sunhealth group at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Australia Dr Vishal Ratanpaul has recently commenced as a Research Fellow at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, and is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Biosciences and Medicine, University of Surrey, UK Dr Liwen Wang, Lecturer, College of Food Science and Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China Dr Zhaoming Wang, Assistant Professor Zhaoming Wang, PhD, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China Dr Sajad Ahmad Wani, Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora, India Dr Junli Xu, is an Independent Research Fellow working at the School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin, Ireland. Interaction of polyphenols with food components: Safety, quality and nutritional aspects. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.16126 ■ Rapid detection of Salmonella ■ Quality and authenticity of olive oil ■ Potential applications of hemp extracts as functional ingredients Edible hemp products or superfood refers to Cannabis sativa or industrial hemp. In general, hemp is a rich source of functional metabolites, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabinoids. Hemp has been widely used in food products, such as bread, cookies, meatballs, energy bars, cooking oil, snacks, and crackers. However, the use of hemp is far below its potential because of major challenges, such as non-cost-effective extraction and isolation, stability and toxicity of the extracts, and legislation related to the use of the extracts. This review analyses major phytochemicals in hemp and hemp extracts, and discusses the most common challenges in applications of hemp-derived phytochemicals and hemp extracts in food and pharmaceutical products like stability, toxicity, legal limitations, isolation/extraction and purification. It outlines current applications of hemp extracts and proposes future trends for utilising hemp phytochemicals and extracts in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products for health benefits. Hebah et al., 2022, https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.16116 ■ Salt substitutes to replace sodium chloride in food products Sodium chloride (NaCl) has a significant role in food's texture, shelf life and flavour. The increasing consumption of foods with high amounts of NaCl can lead to life-threatening pathologies. Recent publications on sodium reductions were on fish products, seafoods, meat products and Asian foods. However, there are no previous reviews on the application effects of salt substitutes (SS) on staple foods. This review aimed to analyse current application of SS in food products, recent advancements to increase SS intake via food formulation, findings from published literature on various food products and latest innovations to aid NaCl reduction. Approaches that are taken include NaCl reduction based on sensory acceptability of foods, replacing NaCl with low-sodium blends and usage of flavour enhancers. The usage of cross-linking agents, hydrocolloids and NaCl coating are innovations that reduce NaCl and maintain qualities of food products. Hui-Ling Tan et al., 2022, doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.16075 (1923-2022) Ave atque vale We mourn the loss of Ralph Blanchfield, who died on 24th August 2022. Ralph was brought up in South West London, attending Rutlish School in Merton Park, and largely living up to its motto ‘Be modest, be thorough and find righteousness’. He went on to study Special Chemistry at what is now Imperial College, graduating in 1942, when he was directed by The Ministry of Labour to work on plastics associated with sealing fuel systems in heavy bombers. After the war, Ralph's first step into the food industry was taken as a chemist with Lyons at Cadby Hall, moving from there to become Deputy Chief Chemist at Batchelors in Southall. In 1958, he moved to Manchester, where he became Group Chief Chemist for the Preserves Group of CWS (The Co-operative Wholesale Society) – then a major force in jams, canned fruit and vegetables and similar products. Returning south in 1969, Ralph joined Bush Boake Allen (now part of IFF) as Food Industries Research Manager, leaving in 1980 to set up his own consultancy, which occupied him for the remainder of his long working life. During this time, he served on many industry scientific and regulatory committees, either under the auspices of BFMIRA (now Leatherhead Food RA) or FMF (now FDF). Ralph was one of the signatories to the Institute's original constitution – the so-called Memorandum and Articles Of Association – serving alongside such giants as Professors Mounfield & Hawthorne, having played a major part in its drafting. The list of offices he held is legion – not least as President in 1978/1979. He devoted his term of office mainly to the promotion of our public service role as a professional organisation. This is the legacy which allowed the Institute to become a charity in 2008, although there had been an educational charity prior to that. There were few areas of IFST activities in which Ralph did not take an active part, be it membership or scientific affairs, publications or education, to such an extent that he was often referred to as the fifth member of staff (at a time when the Institute had only four employees). He has a considerable body of published work and was responsible for many of the Institute's highly regarded Information Statements. An example of this is his work, together with Keith Anderson, on BSE, which provided much of the science and risk assessment at the time (1996), when this particular statement was accepted as the standard position by the industry and government. The Institute continues to maintain a bank of these valuable documents, updated and authored by leading scientists. The IFST's Guide to Good Manufacturing Practice, now in its 7th edition, is also a testament to his leadership, particularly as an editor as well as an author. Perhaps Ralph's most interesting contribution was in his early adoption of the internet, where he took initial responsibility for the IFST website, many years before it became a recognised tool for communication. He also championed the inauguration and maintenance of branches, which continue to have relevance, albeit in the expanded nature of Special Interest Groups, which allow for exchange of ideas and opportunities for networking between members. Ralph was highly motivated to share the professionalism of IFST internationally, and took pains to collaborate with similar bodies, either national bodies (Australian, Irish and Chinese IFSTs, South African Association of FST) or more especially with IUFoST. Professor Geoffrey Campbell Platt, a past president of IUFoST has written a particularly good account of Ralph's IUFoST involvement: iufost.org/news/j-ralph-blanchfield-remembered. Also of note is that the European Federation of Food Science & Technology (EFFoST) exists largely as a result of Ralph's early work to establish it nearly 30 years ago. Ralph always saw himself as a purveyor of knowledge, and spent some effort developing a template for a specialised qualification – the Mastership of Food Control – designed to attract graduates from other disciplines. The Annual IFST Lecture was known as the MFC lecture up until 1985. Although the qualification no longer exists, it contained elements which are now fundamental parts of food science and technology courses. Ralph was honoured in 2000 with an Adjunct Professorship at the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, having given online lectures (again a man before his time…) on the subjects of genetic modification and international food law Ralph was one of the first elected Fellows of the Institute, and was awarded Honorary Fellowship in 1983. In 1996, he received the first PROMED-MAIL (Programme for monitoring emerging diseases) award for excellence in outbreak reporting – in recognition of his outstanding reporting of the BSE/CJD crisis. 1997 saw him awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the profession. Finally, in 2002, he received The Carl R. Fellers Award from the (US) Institute of Food Technologists, with which he had been closely associated since 1979, again for his contribution to the food science and technology profession. Ralph also became a Chartered Scientist in 2004 when IFST became a full member of the Science Council. In his private life, which Ralph
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