Welcome to the New York Institute of Food Technologists and the Central New Jersey Subsection
Download and Read the Latest Newsletter
The NYIFT, which was established in 1942 as a regional section of the Institute of Food Technologists, has much to offer its members. The section includes members from Northern and Central New Jersey, New York City and Southeastern New York State (excluding Long Island). To serve members better, a Central New Jersey (CNJ) subsection was founded in 1980. Membership in the CNJ subsection is included in your NYIFT membership dues.
A February Message from NYIFT Chair Sophia Jin
Happy Spring, food industry fellows!
We had a very successful Student Night at Rutgers University in February. From the number of students participating, the quality of the speakers and panel discussion, to the flow of the meeting, everything was well planned and executed! Kudos to student?leaders Akino Tomizawa, Michael Shen and Katherine Dectis and all who contributed to the planning of this year’s event.??
For the NYIFT March dinner meeting, we are honored to have Dr. Chris Findlay to talk about “A Sensory Exploration of Whiskey” at Mondel?z in East Hanover, NJ. Come hear stories about whiskey, and learn to tell the difference between hype and the facts.?
Join us for a fun evening watching the hockey game between NJ Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning on March 16; seats are limited and selling quickly!?
Sophia Jin- Global Business Manager, Sun Chemical
A 2022-2023 Note from our Chairs
NYIFT Chair Sophia Jin
It’s been fourteen years since I first came to the United States carrying just two pieces of luggage and a dream to learn about the sciences of food. It’s been a long journey for me, growing from a budding student to a business leader in the Food and Beverage industry.
I am extremely honored to step into the Chair position for the New York IFT 2022-2023. As a local chapter of IFT, we strive to build a diverse community where we can discuss, promote, and advance the science of food and its applications. We aim to nurture and support local food science and technology students who aspire to grow their careers in this great industry.
As the NYIFT Chair for this year, I am committed to maintaining these ambitions and also to evolving our section. I hope to modernize our approaches for connection with one another and with the industry as a whole.
I look forward to seeing you in person and virtually at out upcoming events which can be found on page 5 of this newsletter.
CNJIFT Chair Carol BoNey
Welcome everyone to another year of great speakers and opportunities for networking. I am Carol BoNey, and it’s an honor to be Chair of the CNJ subsection again. This section is dear to my heart as it was founded around the time my job with General Foods was relocated to Central Jersey. I joined the section in 1981, and I continue to be an active member.
I am currently enjoying retirement after spending over 45 years in the industry. I worked as a product developer at General Foods, and as a sensory scientist at both Unilever and International Flavors & Fragrances.
All committee members met during the summer to provide you with exciting speakers and topics. Finding a venue for our in-person meetings has been a challenge. Due to increased food prices since the pandemic, restaurants have increased their pricing from 3 years ago. So, you may notice an increase in pricing for our dinner meetings versus previous years.
You will also notice that we are having one meeting per month between the two sections. CNJIFT will start in September with and in-person meeting on the Challenges of Novel Foods/Plant-based Fermentation. The speaker is Dr. Kartheek Anekella, Head of Food Science at Orbillion Bio. NYIFT will follow in October with a panel discussion on Natural Preservatives Enzyme Fermentation. We will have a joint meeting in November and CNJIFT will host its Holiday meeting in early December. Our Annual Suppliers Day will be held on April 4 at the NJ Expo Center in Edison, NJ followed by the Golf Outing in June.
I look forward to meeting with everyone at our in-person meeting in September at Pierre’s in South Brunswick.
Thank you for your continued support of NYIFT and CNJIFT.