Food for Thought is a monthly, members-only e-newsletter from the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST).
PRESIDENTIAL FODDER
Spring is here and Mother’s Day is upon us! Happy Mother’s Day!

Looking beyond the current situation with COVID-19 there are many reasons to be optimistic although no one knows what the future landscape will look like. We at CIFST are thinking about our members and the myriad of challenges you are all facing. Working from home, dealing with supply chain issues, and delayed projects are all things we face together.  

CIFST has had many challenges as well. We cancelled our annual summit and our section events have been cancelled or postponed. In order to continue to serve our members we have had to pivot to try and bring you the latest most up to date information on issues that matter most. We have had an overwhelming response to our joint Webinar Series with Food in Canada. Our most recent Webinar with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University was completely sold out! CIFST made a donation to the Feed Nova Scotia food bank as thanks. Thank you to all who participated.  

As of this writing, we have a weekly seminar scheduled through mid-June. In fact, we are thinking beyond COVID-19 to keep these free webinars as a regular part of our member benefits. 

We are also aware that some of our members have either become unemployed or have had to agree to pay cuts to avoid getting laid off. Regrettably, this has limited their ability to renew their membership with CIFST. In order to help those members, we will extend their membership until the end of 2020. Click this webpage for more information.  

Our food industry is not exempt from the impact of this virus, especially our food service sector. As an essential service, our food industry has proven to be very resilient and many companies have re-engineered or redirected and have kept our food supply flowing and their businesses going. Unfortunately, our restaurants have not fared as well. Once the restrictions have been lifted, I urge you to get out and visit your local restaurants and help them get on the road to recovery. During the pandemic, if you can, please support those restaurants that offer delivery by ordering in at least once per week. 

CIFST will continue to monitor the situation and provide you with regular updates either through this platform or on our website.

I wish you and your family, friends and colleagues best of health.
Rob Kowal
CIFST President
Tel: 416-566-3826
CIFST Delivers Webinars
Our next webinar is with Dana McCauley - Director, New Venture Creation, Research Innovation Office, University of Guelph.
Topic: How Food and Ingredient Companies should Re-evaluate their Innovation Pipeline after COVID-19 .

CIFST and Food in Canada , Canada's food and beverage processing magazine, have partnered to deliver a webinar with CIFST members and stakeholders on every Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST for the foreseeable future. Registration is FREE to all members.

In lieu of a speaker's fee, CIFST will be making a donation to The Seed . The SEED is a not-for-profit food project at the Guelph Community Health Centre that was created in 2015 by a coalition of community organizations and individuals.
BITS & BITES
CIFST Awards

Nominations for this year’s CIFST Awards are currently being accepted. Each of the awards is listed here along with a brief description of the award and a link to download a nomination form.

The CIFST Awards recognize the significant contributions of dedicated food and beverage sector professionals working across Canada. Handed out annually, CIFST Awards recipients will be announced during our virtual AGM.

The deadline for nominations has been extended to May 15, 2020.
CIFST Manitoba

CIFST Manitoba is hosting a virtual Annual General Meeting on May 20, 2020 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. This is for members only

Remain online for a culinary demonstration on making Ethiopian flatbread called injera, the traditional way! The evening will be a great way to wrap up the year, pick-up a few bread-making tips, and to engage with fellow members in food trivia. Virtual door-prizes available!

We're now on Instagram!
CIFST has a social media presence on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. In fact, we just reached a Twitter milestone of 1000 followers. But now we have just joined Instagram, a photo and video-sharing social networking service. Please come and follow us there.