FOOD FOR THOUGHT from CIFST

Food for Thought is a monthly, members-only e-newsletter from the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST).

P R E S I D E N T I A L F O D D E R

Fast forward to Auld Lang Syne

As we approach the end of 2017, it occurs to me how quickly the last 12 months have flown by. There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes for CIFST members, with new member benefits starting to roll out early in the New Year.

We are currently immersed in our membership renewal drive , and we are excited with some new membership options including corporate discount rates and institutional rates for bulk professional and student members. Last year, many of our members also took advantage of our joint membership offer between CIFST and IFT , one that that will remain ongoing for next year. We also introduced a new membership transition program that starts to phase in professional member fees over multiple years for students.

This week you all should have received a Call for Abstracts (see below) in preparation of our Annual National Conference taking place in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON in May. The Conference Committee is well underway with its planning, laying out the technical program and organizing sponsorships and events. Stay tuned as more information comes out in the coming weeks.

In early December, we also brought online and launched a new Association Management System (AMS) through Wild Apricot to make communication within our members far easier. This will lay the groundwork for promoting and managing our new benefits in 2018.

At this time, I want to say a special thank you to the members of our team, Constance Wrigley-Thomas and Doug Duke at Essentient Association Management, the Board of Directors, our many committees (Scientific Advisory Panel, Section Advisory Panel, Editorial Advisory Council, and Membership Renewal Committee), our Section Management teams, and the countless volunteers who make our events happen from coast to coast.

I would also like to thank each of you, our members, for sticking with CIFST through our restructuring year. I promise that you will not be disappointed with what we have in store for you.

On behalf of everyone at CIFST, I want to wish you all a very happy and safe holidays . Here's to 'days gone by' and the good days ahead!

Warm regards,

Dr. Michael Nickerson

CIFST President

BITS & BITES

National and Section events

It's never too early to mark your calendar for CIFST National and Section-specific events. Below is a list of a few of the events being held in the early months of 2018. Further information on these events and other events can be obtained on CIFST's temporary membership renewal site by clicking here .

February 28 - BCFT Suppliers' Night

April 12 - Salon des fournisseurs de la Section Quebec

May 27 to 29 - 2018 CIFST National Conference, Niagara-on-Lake, ON

Membership renewal season continues

Last month, membership renewal packages were mailed to all 2017 members of CIFST. In it, a link was provided to our new online membership system and already, we've had a large volume of individuals and companies taking advantage of the system to renew for 2018.

Please note this is a brand new system that has only just been set up. As a result, users may experience little hiccups that can be quickly and easily remedied. If you are trying to use the online renewal system and are experiencing any challenges whatsoever, please contact the CIFST office and we would be more than happy to assist you.

Still haven't renewed your membership? Simply join us online!

Saskatechewan event success!

On December 7, the CIFST Saskatchewan Section held a Networking Night to bring together members, students and local industry to hear a keynote lecture by Derrick Swanson from OpenSail Digital Media. His presentation was on achieving the marketing objectives of your product or brand using social media and his informative talk reshaped the way many in the audience thought about marketing, while at the same time making them aware just how much information is being collected for consumer marketing purposes with every internet search. The event was held at POS BioSciences Corp. and sponsored by Algarithm . Approximately 30 people attended the event.

Holiday office closure

Please note the CIFST National offices will be closed for the Holidays and will re-open on January 2nd, 2018 . During this time, our e-mail will be monitored in an effort to continue through the membership renewal process. However, we will not be in the office to answer your phone calls.

From everyone here at the CIFST, a safe and happy holiday season to you and yours and all the best for a bright and prosperous new year!

2018 NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Call for presenters and sponsors

Plans for the 2018 CIFST National Conference are starting to take shape.

With the recently announced theme Healthy Food Revolution: Challenges, Innovations and Future Directions , the Conference Committee is well on its way to putting together an exciting and informative program.

While registration forms and a complete conference program will come early in the new year, a call for abstracts has recently gone out as we are looking for presenters to take part in our new-and-improved conference format.

At the same time, conference sponsorship opportunities are now available. Please download the 2018 Conference Sponsorship brochure to see all the ways your company can benefit from supporting our annual event.