The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) will hold its 2014 Annual Meeting & Food Expo—and celebrate its 75th anniversary—in New Orleans, June 21-24. Food industry professionals from around the world will find numerous educational sessions, informative speakers, networking and social events, exhibitors and more awaiting them at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, situated near the Mississippi River.

The annual event will feature short courses from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside on Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21. IFT will honor the recipients of the IFT Achievement Awards and its newly elected IFT Fellows on Saturday evening during the IFT Awards Celebration. The event begins at 5:30 p.m., and will be followed by a welcome reception at 6:45 p.m. at nearby Mardi Gras World. Attendees can relax with colleagues and friends, while enjoying New Orleans-style cuisine and entertainment.

The opening general session on Sunday, June 22, at 8:30 a.m. will feature keynote speaker Doug Rauch, former president of Trader Joe’s. Rauch will share his thoughts about how to feed the world, one healthy, sustainably sourced meal at a time. During the Fennema Lecture, which follows at 10:30 a.m., Dr. Diane Ebert-May, professor of plant biology, Michigan State University, will share her expertise and research in student-centered learning and provide best practices for gaining better insight into how students learn in her presentation “Driving Instruction with Data.”

IFT will hold its 75th anniversary celebration—Diamonds & Donations—on Sunday from 9 p.m. to midnight at Generations Hall, a 19th century sugar refinery. Attendees will be able to mingle, dine and dance while listening to the music of a New Orleans-based band. Proceeds from the event will support the programs of Feeding Tomorrow, which are all designed to encourage the development of the next generation of food scientists.

This year’s scientific program includes two Beacon Lecture sessions. Sunday’s speaker will be Jane Karuku, president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). She will discuss the challenges and potential solutions to the critical issue of global food security. On Monday, Hod Lipson, a professor of engineering at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and co-author of the book Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing, will describe the principles underlying 3D printing and their affects, as well as what the future holds for this technology.

Open July 22-24, the expo will offer what IFT is billing as the industry’s largest collection of food ingredients, equipment, processing and packaging suppliers under one roof. Attendees will also find special interest pavilions focusing on food safety and quality; healthy food ingredients; organic food ingredients; and ingredients and vendors from the Asia-Pacific region, Belgium and Holland.

Innova Market Insights’ Taste the Trend pavilion will offer data on new product trends, while Mintel’s New Products and Consumer Insights pavilion will enable attendees to interact with some of the world’s most successful and innovative products, attend small group presentations and participate in “Ask the Analyst” sessions.

For more information about IFT 2014, visit www.am-fe.ift.org.