Research Summits

Research Summits identify needs for further research by facilitating in-depth exchange of information among world-renowned investigators and other scientists conducting basic and applied research.

Food Packaging Innovations: The Science, Current Research and Future Research Needs
May 7-9, 2006

This fifth Research Summit appealed to participants to identify resesarch needs and provide a roadmap for the future of food packaging. Scientists and scholars made 10 presentations during four scientific sessions.  

Session 1: Food Quality and Safety Needs

Food Quality and Shelf Life
Joe Hotchkiss, Cornell Univ.

Food Quality & Safety Needs: Food Safety Aspects
Per Nielsen, Ph.D., Technical Univ. of Denmark

Food Packaging Regulations
Sara Risch, Michigan State Univ. School of Packaging

Session 2: Materials Science and Technologies

Polymer-Based Nanocomposites: Opportunities Relevant to Packaging
Evangelos Manias, Pennsylvania State Univ.

Bio-Based Nanocomposite Materials for a Sustainable Future in Packaging
Amar Mohanty, Michigan State Univ. School of Packaging

State of the Art of Active/Intelligent Food Packaging
Aaron Brody, Ph.D., Brody, Inc.

Session 3: Sensing Technologies

Sensing Technologies for Microbial Detection / Safety
Joseph Irudayaraj, Purdue Univ.

Nano Bio Sensors & Integrated Microsystems for Intelligent Food Packaging
Mahadevan Iyer, Georgia Institute of Technol.

Session 4: Packaging in the Future

Packaging and Our Food System in the Future
John Floros, Pennsylvania State University

Reflection On & Integration of All Topics
Sara Risch, Michigan State University School of Packaging

Food Defense Pertaining to Potential Intentional Contamination (April 3-5, 2005)

IFT's fourth Research Summit brought together world-renowned scientists toidentify the means by which to address the issue of fooddefense. Summit participants addressed actions needed to advance the understanding of how to determine what has happened and what agent was involved in the event, the appropriate course of action to protect the public and food workers, and the optimum approach to managing the recovery process. 

Food Defense Summit Presentations (Power Point):

Food Safety and Defense: Capabilities and Challenges
Craig Hedberg, Univ. of Minnesota

Sampling and Detection of Chemical and Radiological Contaminants
James Coughlin, Coughlin & Associates 

Novel approaches for Detection and Characterization of Foodborne Pathogens
Thomas Cebula, Food and Drug Administration

The DoD Combat Feeding Program & Lessons Learned From Protecting Operational Rations
Gerry Darsch, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center

Chemical Clean Up: Experience and Strategies
Marcus Cooke, Cooke Companies Intl.

Biological Agents and Factors Affecting Decontamination
Bruce Cords, Ecolab, Inc.

Guidelines for Disposal and Decontamination
Michelle Catlin, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

Managing the Clean-Up and Decontamination Process for Intentionally Contaminated Food
Donald Schaffner, Rutgers University

Managing the Communications Process
David Schmidt, International Food Information Council 

The Obesity Conundrum-Is there a Food Solution  (February 2004)

IFT's third Research Summit brought together world-renowned scientists to identify the means by which to solve the problem of obesity -- arguably the most pressing public health problem in this country.  Summit participants addressed actions needed to advance the understanding of biological and physiological mechanisms affecting appetite, satiety, long-term eating behavior, energy balance vs.imbalance, and food-related solutions to the obesity epidemic. 

Obesity Summit Presentations:

The Worldwide Epidemic of Overweight and Obesity-Environmental Causes and Control
Claude Bouchard

Behaviorial Influences on What We Eat
Ricardo Uauy

Freedom to React!

Van Hubbard

ObesityConundrumOne: Is There Evidence That a Food Solution Can ImpactOverweightThrough Biological Mechanisms: Appetite, Satiety, and EnergyBalance
Stephen C. Woods

Are there Nutrients and Hormones that Alter Daily Food Intake as well as Body Weight and Obesity
Henry Koopmans

Obesity Conundrum Two: Can a Food Solution Influence Long-Term Eating Behavior
Adam Drewnowski

The Role of the Media in Influencing Healthy Lifestyles
Sylvia Rowe

Kinetic Models for Microbial Survival During Processing  (August 2003)

During IFT's Second Research Summit, forty scientists met to advance the stateof understanding of microbial inactivation kinetics and models fornon-log-linear survivor curves.
  

Dormant Microbes: Research Needs  (June 2003)

IFT's Inaugural Research Summit explored research needs for the physiology of bacterial spores and other dormant microbes, rapid quantitative measurement methods, and advanced techniques for evaluating microbial viability.