CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (August 14, 2025) — The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a non-profit scientific organization committed to advancing the science of food and its application across the global food system, recently recognized five IFT Sections with its IFT Section Impact Award. IFT Sections allow food science professionals to network with their local peers through a variety of events and opportunities, including Suppliers’ Nights. IFT has 46 Sections spread across the US, as well as Mexico, Japan, England, and Canada.
“IFT Sections are a valuable resource for anyone looking to deepen their connections within the food science community and strengthen their personal and professional development by staying updated on the latest developments and advancements in food,” said Alan Chewning, Director of Section Engagement at IFT. “While every Section has played a prominent role in advancing the science of food, these five Sections stood out for their excellence in these specific areas.”
One award was presented to each Section in the following categories:
- Outstanding Scholarship Program
- Establishment or Re-establishment of an Event with Noticeable Growth
- Technology Reaching Members
- Membership Growth and Retention
Here is a summary of each winner:
Outstanding Scholarship Program
The Southern California IFT Section (SCIFT) was selected as the Section Outstanding Scholarship Program winner in recognition of the diverse grants, scholarships, and financial support to high school, college students, and academics. Through the SCIFT Section Education & Research Grant program awarding funding to colleges and universities, travel funds, the Wayne Bidlack Scholarship, or the Phil Bates Scholarship, SCIFT has greatly impacted the current and future community of Southern California with over twenty students receiving scholarships, ten receiving travel awards, and five faculty members awarded grants during the previous IFT year.
“We are honored to receive the IFT Section Impact Award, which recognizes SCIFT’s longstanding commitment to fostering the next generation of food science professionals. This award reflects the dedication of our members, who volunteer their time to support impactful initiatives like our scholarship and grant programs. These efforts are made possible through the success of our annual Suppliers’ Night Expo, which serves as the primary funding source for our student and faculty support,” said SCIFT Co-Chair Changqi Liu. “In addition to our financial support programs, SCIFT provides year-round engagement through monthly meetings, networking activities, and the Southern California Food Industry Conference, where we invite high-profile speakers to share insights on innovation, research, and industry trends. These events help build lasting connections among students, faculty, and industry professionals. We are proud to serve as a vibrant hub for the food science community within the region and look forward to expanding our impact in the years ahead.”
Establishment or Re-establishment of an Event with Noticeable Growth
Both the Cactus IFT Section and the Dogwood IFT Section were selected for the Establishment or Re-establishment of an Event with Noticeable Growth Section Award. Cactus IFT was able to successfully relaunch their Suppliers Night event, which had not occurred since 2019. The effort and ability to reestablish this event, and to have a successful fundraising campaign to create a more financially-secure Section, has been apparent and benefitted their members and community.
“We’re honored that the Cactus Section has been recognized with this year’s Section Impact Award. This recognition validates the hard work our board and volunteers have put in to reinvigorate the Section after the challenges of the COVID pandemic. It’s especially meaningful because it reflects our commitment to reconnecting with the local food science and industry community here in Arizona,” said IFT Cactus Section Chair-Designate Ricky Singh PhD. “What makes our Section special is the way we’ve rebuilt engagement by creating a welcoming, collaborative environment for professionals across industry, academia, and government. We take pride in bringing people together through purposeful programming and events that spark ideas, relationships, and opportunity.
“One of our proudest accomplishments was successfully hosting our Suppliers’ Night for the first time in six years — and with an incredible turnout of over eighty vendors and 250 attendees. We also held several other events throughout the year that helped grow our membership and build momentum. Looking ahead, we’re excited to expand our programming, deepen industry partnerships, and continue building one of the most engaged IFT Sections in the country,” added Singh.
Meanwhile, the Dogwood Section took on the challenge to host a Food Science Olympics event and had more than sixty students from North Carolina A&T and North Carolina State University participate in a Product Development Challenge focused on snack bars. With teams creating prototypes and launching a final pitch to food industry professionals from PepsiCo, the winning teams were recognized during the Dogwood Section Suppliers’ Night, bringing recognition and networking across students, academia, and industry.
“Receiving this recognition affirms that our Section is on the right path, creating meaningful opportunities such as the Food Science Olympics, an innovative event that brings together students from universities across North Carolina to learn, compete, and connect,” said Dogwood Section President Roberta Claro da Silva PhD. “By fostering these relationships, we not only support their academic and professional growth but also lay the foundation for a stronger, more vibrant food science community, as these students represent the future leaders, members, and volunteers who will carry our mission forward for years to come.”
The Dogwood Section will be hosting its next Suppliers’ Night event on September 11, 2025, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Learn more or register here.
Technology Reaching Members
The Iowa IFT Section was selected for its work towards upgrading their technology to better align and connect with their Section members. The Iowa Section utilizes their website extensively to communicate and connect with Section members, overhauling their website to be mobile friendly, utilizing their domain name, and avoiding junk folders in member email inboxes. Updating their server and webpage host, the Iowa Section was able to drive more members to the site and increased e-mail delivery to assist members in staying up to date with activities, news, and opportunities.
“The Iowa Section is honored to be recognized as a Section of Impact. We are a small section, but we try hard to connect the science of food community within the state of Iowa, across academia and industry, and across companies and unique food- science roles. We are very proud of our volunteer board members, and we appreciate the time and effort they put back into the Section and IFT,” shared Iowa Section President Teresa Busch PhD.
“We are a special part of the local community because we work hard to support our local Iowa State University students by having two students on our board, hosting a Student Night, having student support grants, and welcoming them to all of our meetings,” Busch continued. “The Iowa Section is excited to welcome four new leaders onto our board. To get so many new leaders in a small state Section, we cultivated relationships and generated interest with great meetings featuring company plant tours and fun group dinners.”
Membership Growth and Retention
The Kansas City IFT Section (KCIFT) was selected for the Membership Growth and Retention Impact Award as a result of their efforts to enhance Section engagement and recognize member participation. KCIFT leadership created a multi-stage strategic plan to achieve these goals, which resulted in a stronger connection between KCIFT and IFT leadership, a 147% increase in their Membership Survey response rate, programming 100% of their events around those survey responses, and a 200% increase in student engagement on the KCIFT board. In addition, KCIFT deepened ties to Kansas State University Food Science & Bakery Science clubs, helping guide future volunteer leaders to their section. KCIFT also improved engagement with their current membership through student and professional member highlights, featuring thirteen KCIFT members in the first six months of the initiative.
“This recognition highlights hours of commitment from our leadership board and volunteer members to bring relevant programming, networking opportunities, and development to KCIFT members. We appreciate the recognition and continued collaboration with IFT to continue creating membership magic,” said Laurel McGonegle of the Kansas City Section. “One key highlight [from the past year] was executing a membership survey with 147% increased participation. This allowed us to develop two key events [(a seminar at K-State Olathe and a scholarship dinner with IFT President Christopher Daubert] with high attendance and membership engagement. We have also seen increased student involvement on the volunteer board by 200%, further emphasizing our commitment to retention, recruitment, and involvement of the student voice.”
To learn more about joining an IFT Section, go to ift.org/community/regional-sections. And to become a member of IFT and gain access to numerous networking opportunities and educational resources, go to ift.org/membership.
About Institute of Food Technologists
Since 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has served as the voice of the global food science community. IFT advocates for science, technology, and research to address the world’s greatest food challenges, guiding our community of more than 200,000. IFT convenes professionals from around the world — from producers and product developers to innovators and researchers across food, nutrition, and public health — with a shared mission to help create a global food supply that is sustainable, safe, nutritious, and accessible to all. IFT provides its growing community spanning academia, industry, and government with the resources, connections, and opportunities necessary to stay ahead of a rapidly-evolving food system as IFT helps feed the minds that feed the world. For more information, please visit ift.org.
