Food for Thought is a monthly, members-only e-newsletter from the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST).
PRESIDENTIAL FODDER
As we enter the Holiday Season, most of the country still finds itself hobbled by various levels of lockdown.
 
There is certainly much debate about how effective lockdowns are, but there is no question that our small businesses will continue to struggle under these conditions. Many, many more will go bankrupt and shutter their locations. Our foodservice sector continues to be negatively affected. Food prices will continue to increase, with consumers feeling the financial impact for many years to come. 

I urge you all to support local, small businesses. Let’s not forget they are the backbone of our economic growth, and we need them to survive to have a vibrant and growing industry once we come out of these government restrictions.  

Not only are our small businesses feeling the brunt of these restrictions, so too are many of the less fortunate in our country. Did you know last year, Canadians made 1.1 million visits to food banks per month? At the best of times, the holidays can be stressful, but with the impact of COVID-19, many families are unable to pay their bills, let alone afford to buy healthy, nutritious food.

We believe CIFST can do our part and have recently set up a link to Food Banks Canada. I urge you to click on the attached LINK and make a monetary contribution to help someone in need. I encourage you and your companies to help in any way you can. I am sure you will brighten someone’s day!
As we close out another successful year at CIFST, I would like to thank all of you for participating in our first “Coast to Coast”: Virtual Showcase on October 28th. We had over 525 registrations and 45 exhibitors. Feedback has been positive, and tentative plans are in place for 2021. Of course, we still hold out hope that we can all meet face to face, but our backup plan is in place for a virtual show in case we are still in this predicament. 

Despite the challenges in 2020, our membership continued to grow, and I want to welcome all new members and thank all who have recently renewed and remain part of our “Canadian focused” association.  

This will be my final newsletter as I near the end of my term as President of CIFST. As I reflect on my term I realize how much of an honour and privilege it has been to serve you, our members, and to work with so many great people, all striving to do their best to you bring as much value as possible. I want to thank Constance Wrigley-Thomas and the staff at Essentient Association Management for their leadership and guidance during a very challenging year. I would also like to thank our Board of Directors for their support over the last 18 months.  

As we move into 2021, I am excited to hand over the reins to Amy Proulx – Professor and Academic Program Coordinator of Culinary Innovation and Food Technology at Niagara College. There is no doubt that Amy will continue to help build a strong association. I will remain as Past-President and look to support Amy, our Board of Directors, and the CIFST in any way called upon.  

CIFST will continue to keep you informed of industry issues and events with regular updates through this letter, "Directions" newsletter, or on our website. Please follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

I am very optimistic that 2021 will see us all emerge from the lockdowns and our lives will start to get back to something close to “normal”. I hope to see you “face to face” at a tradeshow in the not too distant future!

I wish you and your loved ones the very best of health always and especially over the Holiday Season.  
Rob Kowal
CIFST President
Tel: 416-566-3826
BITS & BITES
Job Postings and Resumés

Are you a company in the food and beverage sector seeking new talent and expertise?

Are you a professional in the sector seeking new opportunities?


Additionally, we are launching our NEW resumé service exclusively for CIFST members. This FREE service will enable CIFST job seekers to post their resumé on our website at no charge. Similar to our job postings, a link to the resumés web page will be promoted via our weekly newsletter. To post your resumé, CLICK HERE.
CIFST Discussion Forum

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We launched our Discussion Forum earlier this year to provide our members with that platform. To log in and start the discussion, CLICK HERE
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