Food for Thought is a monthly, members-only e-newsletter from the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST).
PRESIDENTIAL FODDER
It's hard to believe that in my last Food for Thought column I was talking about our successful end-of-May National Conference and looking forward to the summer months ahead. Now here we are, seemingly just a few blinks of an eye later, and it's already back-to-school and back-to-work with summer quickly fading in the rearview mirror.

Despite its brevity, I hope everyone has managed to have an enjoyable summer season.

It's easy to lament the end of summer but if you're like me, you also get a bit excited about the fall months ahead. That's especially true this year for everyone here at the National office as we look to build on what we've accomplished this year and introduce some exciting new initiatives for 2019 as we head into CIFST membership renewal season.

Speaking of CIFST membership, we are currently offering a '16 for 12' promotion for new members. If you know anyone not currently a member, please encourage them to join now as they will receive complete membership benefits for the remainder of 2018 and all of 2019.

One of the aforementioned new initiatives is a national Mentorship Program that we will begin to roll out later this year. The unique program will offer 'flash mentoring' opportunities for younger professionals working in the food and beverage sector. You can read a little more about the Mentorship Program below and contact the National office for more information.

Finally, with everything ramping up for 2019, we are currently looking for some good volunteers to pitch in and help us get some things done. This is your chance to get involved at the National level and help chart our course for the next year. There are many ways to get involved including our Conference Committee as mentioned below. It's a great way to learn while expanding your network and making new friends.

Please get in touch if you want to pitch in and help ... and enjoy what's left of the summer season!

Warm regards,

Dr. Michael Nickerson
CIFST President
BITS & BITES
2018 National Conference presentations available online

Content presented at CIFST's 2018 National Conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON is now available online.

Many of the more than three dozen conference speakers have made PDF versions of their presentations available. To access them, simply visit the #CIFST18 app portal by CLICKING HERE .

Presentations can be found and downloaded by clicking on the profile of the individual speakers which are listed in alphabetical order.
Starting in September, new members receive the rest of 2018 free!

Do you know of an industry friend or colleague that has yet to become a part of CIFST? Right now is a great time to encourage them to join!

Beginning in September, anyone signing up as a new CIFST member will receive the balance of 2018 for free. In other words, they will get a up to 16 months of membership for the price of 12. That's right ... they will get all the industry networking, member-priced Section events and CIFST communications up until the end of 2019!

All you have to do is direct them HERE or send them the following link for them to take advantage of this special, limited time offer:

https://www.cifst.ca/membership/join-us/

Refer a new member to CIFST today!
Nationwide Mentorship Program coming soon from CIFST

CIFST is excited to announce that it will be launching a Canada-wide Mentorship Program for 2019.

The innovative, cloud-based program will offer several opportunities for younger CIFST members to meet and engage one-on-one with the senior leaders of the country's food and beverage sector.

More details will be released as they become available. In the meantime, anyone interested in being a mentor or mentee are asked to contact CIFST Executive Director Doug Duke at the National office.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
For a complete list of confirmed CIFST National and Section events, please visit the CIFST website and the Section-specific pages.

September 10 (QC)
Club de Golf Les Quatre Domaines, Mirabel

September 12 (ON)
Deer Creek Golf & Banquet Facility, Ajax

September 26 (SK)
Willows Golf and Country Club, Saskatoon

November 6 (ON)
The International Centre, Mississauga
2019 NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Help us plan for next year's National Conference

The 2018 National Conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON was a huge success. With over 150 delegates and more than three dozen presenters, feedback from the annual event was overwhelmingly positive.

It is now time to plan for next year's National Conference and we want your help. Volunteers from CIFST's membership are need to help plan and coordinate an exciting and education 2019 event on Canada's Atlantic coast.

If you have an interest in getting involved on the National Conference Committee, please GET IN TOUCH with us . We would love to hear from you!