In the US, Ann Hollingsworth, president of Better Built Foods of Carrollton, Georgia, has been elected president-elect of the Institute of Food Technologists.
Hollingsworth, introduced to IFT members at the 2002 Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Anaheim, California, will succeed Mark McLellan, as president-elect. McLellan, director and professor at the Institute of Food Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University-College Station, assumes the responsibilities of IFT president in September at the conclusion of his one-year term as president-elect. Hollingsworth's term will begin in September 2003.
Prior to her post with Better Built Foods, Hollingsworth served as vice-president of food safety at Keystone Foods. Before that, she was director of research and development at Bil Mar Foods, after having served as research and development manager. Hollingsworth's career began as a research scientist at Armour Food.
She has served the IFT as council representative to the Executive Committee and as chair of the task force on Enhancing Publication Efforts. She has also served on a number of other committees and task forces, including IFT's Finance Committee, Continuing Education Committee and its task force on Food Safety Initiatives.
Hollingsworth has been active in the Great Lakes and the Cactus sections of IFT, as well as the Muscle Foods, Food Laws & Regulations, and Student divisions, where she served in various leadership roles.
An expert on meat science, Hollingsworth noted during her candidacy for president-elect that IFT will "continue to develop and evolve to meet the demands of tomorrow while maintaining our basic mission of advancing the science and technology of food through the exchange of knowledge."
"The progress we make in our scientific investigations," she said, "can be used as a bridge to greater understanding and collaboration in the global community."
As the society for food science and technology, IFT brings the scientific perspective to the public discussion of food issues. Its food science and technology exposition, held in tandem with its members meeting, is annually among the largest in the world, attracting 20,000 attendees or more. The 2003 convention in Chicago will be Hollingsworth's first opportunity as president-elect to address publicly the assembled IFT membership.