NEW ORLEANS – Food has always been a favored topic of conversation in New Orleans. That may be the case more than ever this weekend, when the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) welcomes an estimated 16,000 visitors to the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for the 2019 IFT Annual Event and Food Expo. The event, which takes place from Sunday, June 2, through Wednesday, June 5, is expected to have a local economic impact of $18.8 million.
"New Orleans is a fabulous city to host an event focused on food innovation with all of the incredible restaurants and food entrepreneurs," said Rae Ulrich, the senior director of Integrated Marketing and Brand Strategy for Institute of Food Technologists. "This, coupled with all of the great things to do and see in New Orleans, IFT felt it was a perfect destination for its event."
Now in its 79th year, the IFT annual meeting is where creative minds from around the world convene to share the latest research, innovative solutions and forward thinking topics in food science and technology, to help tackle food challenges. Since this year's theme is called Feed Your Future, the exposition will explore such topics as feeding the world, and the future of food safety.
"FT’s Annual Event and Food Expo is one of the largest events of its kind, bringing together science of food professionals and food innovators from around the globe representing all segments of the food profession—research and design, ingredients, safety and quality, technology, equipment, processing, packaging, manufacturing, suppliers and buyers, policy makers, and academics—all converging with the intention to inspire and transform collective knowledge into innovative solutions to help advance our planet’s food safety, nutrition, and sustainability," said Ulrich.
Chef Alon Shaya will emcee a live pitch competition that highlights the work of innovative, food-focused entrepreneurs.
Here's the full schedule:
- Monday, June 3; 6-8 a.m. Fun Run + Fitness; Feeding Tomorrow’s largest annual fundraiser supporting student scholarships; Audubon Park
- Monday, June 3; 9-10 a.m.; Harnessing the Power of Difference; World-renowned researcher, activist and best-selling author, Temple Grandin, will explore the power of difference and how bringing together a diverse and inclusive team helps companies become innovation leaders and trendsetters; MCCNO, La Nouvelle Ballroom
- Monday, June 3; 2-3 p.m.; Emerging Data Tools and Predicting Future Trends in the Food Industry; It’s not enough to know which consumer trends are impacting the food industry today, you need to know what trends are coming that haven’t bubbled to the surface of the marketplace yet. This panel discussion will explore how predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, and other data tools are being leveraged to forecast trends into the future; MCCNO, La Nouvelle Ballroom
- Tuesday, June 4; 8:30-10 a.m.; IFTNEXT Food Disruption Challenge™ ; New Orleans native, Alon Shaya, emcee’s this second annual live pitch competition which highlights the work of innovative, food-focused entrepreneurs. Start-ups compete for a $25,000 cash prize and the chance to share their innovations representing breakthrough solutions across food ingredient, packaging, agriculture and processing applications; MCCNO, La Nouvelle Ballroom
What: the 2019 IFT Annual Event and Food Expo
When: Sunday, June 2, through Wednesday, June 5
Where: New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (MCCNO), Halls C-J
For more information, visit: https://www.iftevent.org