Food for Thought is a monthly, members-only e-newsletter from the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST).
PRESIDENTIAL FODDER
After many months of meetings and planning, our 2018 National Conference has come and gone.

In case you missed it, this year's conference in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario was a huge success, attracting food and beverage sector delegates from coast to coast. We have heard nothing but positive feedback from those who joined us at the end of last month.

Everything about the National Conference - or #CIFST18 as it was referred to on social media - was top-notch. From our impressive list of speakers to the table-top exhibitors and from the poster board session presenters to the Student Food Product Development Competition, all aspects of the event seemed to be done with a high degree of professionalism.

Not only was I fortunate enough to be able to meet many of you face-to-face, but I was also able to take in a little bit of everything the conference had to offer and found it all quite impressive and very enjoyable. To be sure, it has given us a great foundation to build on as this was the first year of a new annual approach to the National Conference. Details are still being ironed out, but look for #CIFST19 to take place somewhere on the east coast.

There are so many people to thank for such an outstanding event. To list them all here would mean you would require a lot of scrolling, so I won't do that. But I would like to give a special shout out to all of our generous sponsors (see below), our hard-working Conference Committee, and our dedicated staff at the National office who worked around the clock during the three days to make sure everything went off without a hitch. Well done everyone!

If you were in Niagara-on-the-Lake, thank you so much for your support. I hope you had as much fun as a delegate as I did. If you weren't there, make sure you plan to be in attendance next year. You won't regret it!

Warm regards,

Dr. Michael Nickerson
CIFST President
BITS & BITES
Team Laval wins 2018 Student Food Development Competition

Four students from Laval University were the big winners of the CIFST's 2018 Student Food Development Competition .

The finals of the Canada-wide contest took place on May 27 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON as part of CIFST's National Conference. Other teams involved in the finals included British Columbia Institute of Technology , University of Alberta and University of Guelph .

The team from Laval ( Laura Lapointe , Roxanne Nolet , Alexane Thiffeault , and Marc-Antoine Vezina pictured with CIFST President Mike Nickerson) were named the winners of the competition after presenting their Veggi Blueberry Waffles to a panel of judges and dozens of spectators who filled the Idea Loft at the White Oaks Conference Resort. For their efforts, the team won $2,000 in prize money and the coveted Marvin Tung Memorial Trophy .
Dr. Vasantha Rupasinghe named a Fellow of the CIFST

Dr. Vasantha Rupasinghe, a professor at Dalhousie University and member of the CIFST Board of Directors, has been named a Fellow of the Institute.

The honour was bestowed upon Dr. Rupasinghe by CIFST President Mike Nickerson during the Annual General Meeting of Members on May 27 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Dr. Rupasinghe is the Killam Chair of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals at the Department of Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences at Dalhousie.

A news story on Dr. Rupasinghe becoming a CIFST Fellow was posted on the Dalhousie University website on June 22.
2018/19 Board of Directors announced

The new Board of Directors of CIFST for 2018/2019 was made official at the Annual General Meeting of Members held on May 27 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON during the Institute's National Conference.

The new Board includes the following people:

Michael Nickerson (President) , University of Saskatchewan
Rob Kowal (President-Elect) , Kriscor & Associates
Hosahalli Ramaswamy (Past President) , McGill University
Louise Ayotte , Barry Callebaut
Steve Cui , Guelph Research & Development Centre
Amy Proulx , Canadian Food & Wine Institute, Niagara College
Vasantha Rupasinghe , Dalhousie University
Jenny Tian , Canada Bread
Sara Zborovski , Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
UPCOMING SECTION EVENTS
For a complete list of confirmed CIFST National and Section events, please visit the CIFST website and the Section-specific pages.

July 16
Hilton Chicago, Wilford A (3rd Floor)

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

September 12
Deer Creek Golf & Banquet Facility, Ajax, ON
2018 NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Thank you sponsors; your support made a difference!

The 2018 Annual National Conference was a huge success thanks in large member to our conference sponsors. We wanted to take a final opportunity to recognize them for their generous support.

If you were a delegate in Niagara-on-the-Lake, we hope you enjoyed this year's conference. We look forward to seeing you all next year on Canada's east coast. Have a great summer!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR #CIFST18 SPONSORS
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