Food Science and Technology Education in the US: Trends, Challenges and Perspectives. ppt

54022, USA Presented at ISKEI_ FOOD 2011 Bringing Training and Research for Industry and Wider Community 2 nd International ISEKI Food Conference Milan, Italy, 31 August-2 Septembe

Purnendu C Vasavada Professor Emeritus University of Wisconsin-River Falls

River Falls, WI 54022, USA

Presented at

ISKEI_ FOOD 2011

Bringing Training and Research for Industry and Wider Community

2 nd International ISEKI Food Conference

Milan, Italy, 31 August-2 September, 2011 Great Hall of the University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono

Food Science and Technology Education in the US:

Trends, Challenges and Perspectives

!! Introduction

!! Food Science &Technology Education in the US

!! IFT “recognized” Programs

!! Trends influencing Food Science Education

Food Science and Technology as Academic Discipline

!! 1950-1960s Food Science and Technology

programs originated from commodity- based

disciplines

!! Recognition of unifying principles in food

preservation and processing, and need for

approaching problems and developments in the fast growing food industry on scientific basis

!! Most universities developed food science

departments by merging/changing commodity based departments i.e Dairy Science, Meat

Science, Cereal science

Food Science and Technology as

Academic Discipline

!! Under stress and struggling for recognition,

visibility and relevance

!! Encouraging Trends in placement

!! Enrolment very encouraging for some, not so for others

IFT and Food Science & Technology Education

!! Minimum standards for undergraduate curriculum

established in 1966

!! Revised in1977, 1992, 2010

!! Established core curriculum, organization and budget,

minimum faculty, facilities, required courses and other

recommended courses and skills

!! Core competencies required of all undergraduate food Science students

!! Undergraduate Curriculum Minimum Standards designed

to assure rigorous scientific training and develop

professional skills for students enrolled in IFT approved curriculum

!! Defined Food Science and Food Technology

!! Differentiated from Home Economics (Nutrition

and dietetics) and commodity production

!! “Recognition” vs formal accreditation

!!IFT “ Recognized” Programs meet or exceed

Minimum Standards for Undergraduate Education

!!Reviewed and approved by the IFT Higher

Education Review Board

!! Students from recognized programs can compete for undergraduate scholarships

IFT and Food Science & Technology Education

IFT “Approved” Universities/Programs

!!48 IFT approved programs

!! 40 in the US

!! 8 in Canada, Mexico,

Indonesia and China

!! Not all options meet IFT

Food Science and Technology Education

at the UW River Falls

!! UW-River Falls Food Science major started in 1969 First graduates in 1973

!! New Pilot plants and Laboratory facilities - 1982

!! FS program peaked at > 55 students and 4.5 FTE

!! Decline in enrolment, FTE reduction due to budget cuts, Resource competitions with other majors and program – mid 1990s-2000s

!! FS enrolment bounced back to 45 + in 2007 but

program suspended as a result of strategic planning and resource reallocation- 2011

Trends Influencing Food Science and Technology

!! Globalization

!! Sourcing and supply chain management

!! M&A and Workforce issues

!! Economics and business climate

!! Industry practices- GFSI, SQF, ISO

!! GATT-Codex

!! Government Regulations - FSMA 2011

!! Consumer demands for Nutrition, Wellness and

health, Organic, Natural, Ethnic food, Local foods, Carbon foot print

Trends Influencing Food Science an Technology

!! Enrollment levels and sources

!! Gender and diversity

!! Recognition of Food Science as a scientific discipline

!! Changing paradigm- from instructional to learning (knowledge dissemination to learning and skill development)

!! International study tours and semester/year abroad

!! Drastic and sustained budget cuts

!! State support reduced from >48-50% to < 20%

!! Emphasis on “extramural” funds generation by

faculty to support research

!! Salary cuts, Mandatory furloughs , hiring freezes

!! Reduced, Lab support, field trips and other activities

!! Key courses taught by temporary and “adjuncts” staff

!! Increased teaching loads, Infrequent course offerings and dropping of “lab- based” courses

!!Industry- University partnerships and major

endowment /fund raising efforts

Budget Cuts Affect Food Science Programs

Students in IFT Programs – 2006-2010

Employment Trends

!! Recent History – 2008-2009

!! Worst market ever!!

!! Expansion plans and corporate investments put on hold

!! Misconceptions about unemployment and discouraging job market for food scientists and technologists

!! Layoffs

!! Lots of unemployed food scientists

!! Who else is out there!.cheap

Employment Trends

!!Great improvement in 2011!

!! Economic Recovery (Sluggish)

!! Less fear in the marketplace?

!! Graduates from prior years found employment

!! Hiring improving in 2010

!! Many major projects and investments started

!! More opportunity for 2011 grads

WHAT’S HOT! – Food Safety

!! New regulations – FSMA 2011,

!! Sanitation, Hygiene and environmental

WHAT’S HOT! – Nutrition, Food and Health

!! Why?

!! Trans-fat free, Reduced fat, Reduced Sodium

!! Whole grains – baked goods

!! Calcium enriched

!! Antioxidants , Antimicrobials

!! Prebiotic, Probiotics

FOOD SCIENCE POSITIONS AVAILABLE

!! Product Development

!! Clinical Research

!! Nutrition Marketing

!! R & D , Product development and Sensory

!! Quality Assurance and Regulatory affairs

!! Food engineers

!! BS, MS, PhD levels

SHORTAGES OF TALENT IN INDUSTRY

Undergraduate Research and other innovative programs

!! Professional Identity/recognition

!! Retention and recruitment of students

!! Students” quality” and background and academic

preparation prior to enrolling in Food Science

!! Information explosion and acquiring skills and

Knowledge

!! Social media and attention gap

!! Faculty recruitment, retention and rewards

!! Graduate students training

!! Facility upgrades and maintenance

Food Science and Technology Education -

Challenges

Employers seek more than technical knowledge

Source: Melissa Kahn, 2011

Professional Identity/recognition

!! Food Science identity crisis

!! Academic major housed in Agriculture College

!! Not recognized as a STEM discipline

!! Not too many high school science teachers and counselors familiar with Food Science

!! Lack of parental encouragement

Recruitment and Retention

!! Identify and reach-out to High school majors and undeclared Freshman, Sophomore students

!! Retention and recruitment of students

!! High School teachers workshops and programs- professional development, summer enrichment, workshops

!! Host and mentor high school students

!! Science fairs and technology contests &

Scholarships

!! Retention of FR, So, and transfer students

!! Food Science as a scientific discipline at a

cross-roads

!! Need to “advocate” Food Science to decision

makers- internal and external

!! Be a spokes person and unabashed champion of Food Science

!! Emphasize Learning, skills and talent development

!! “mentor” students, help develop communication,

team work and taking initiative

!! Support Develop and Encourage participation in

international and study abroad programs

Food Science and Technology Education –

Perspective

Summary

!! Food science education in the US is facing many challenges

!! Trends and employment prospects are encouraging

!! Many challenges need to be addressed urgently

!! Promising future!

“Best of the times and the worst of the times… ”

Charles Dickens

Summary

“ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the

other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative

degree of comparison only”.

Grazie Mille!!

See you in Wisconsin!!