[ΦTΣ] [Foodsci] Certified Food Scientist (IFT CFS) is questionable

Sun Apr 22 19:18:49 EDT 2012

Well said Gary, I fully support your comments and opinions.

Rolando A. Flores, PhD
Professor & Head,
Food Science and Technology Department
Director, The Food Processing Center
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Phone: 402-472-1664
Fax: 402-472-1693
rflores2 at unl.edu<mailto:rflores2 at unl.edu>
http://foodsci.unl.edu
http://fpc.unl.edu

The information, advice and opinions provided by a University of Nebraska employee represent the best judgment of the employee at that time, but should not be considered legal advice on any local, state, federal or international regulation or statute. We encourage you to contact the applicable regulatory agency and/or qualified attorney to confirm the information presented in this correspondence.

On Apr 22, 2012, at 6:15 PM, "Gary Reineccius" <greinecc at umn.edu<mailto:greinecc at umn.edu>> wrote:

Hello:

I had the opportunity to express my (strongly negative) opinions about the Certified Food Scientist program directly to Roger Clements a couple months ago when he spoke at the Minnesota IFT section meeting. I covered many of the points each of you have raised and hope that the emails he is receiving now might have an impact on this program and more broadly, the path IFT is taking in decision making.

 The process is one of IFT operating without considering the opinions of the academic leadership.  I believe it was two years ago when Bob McGorrin presented the proposal to department heads (CFSA/ANDP meeting), that we should be providing information to the IFT HERB group annually instead of every 5 years. At this meeting, every department head spoke against this change and show of hands resulted in  a unanimous vote against IFT implementing annual reporting. It was interesting that 2 months later, IFT informed all of us that we would be required to present some materials for HEBB every year from then on. At the last joint head’s meeting (CFSA/ANDP), there was a presentation (by John Huff) and discussion of the proposed Certified Food Scientist program. Again, without exception, there was opposition to the program and now ... IFT is implementing the program. I am extremely concerned that IFT is choosing to ignore our input. If opinions were mixed and no clear stand was evident, IFT may take an action they favor, however, they chose to act directly contrary to our views.

In my view, we should not be submitting program review information to HERB annually, we should not support the Certified Food Scientist program and perhaps consider boycotting IFT until changes are made in how IFT deals with issues in our domain.

Gary Reineccius

Professor and Department Head
University of Minnesota

On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 2:39 PM, Lee, Ken <lee.133 at osu.edu<mailto:lee.133 at osu.edu>> wrote:
T: Phi Tau Sigma Members
F: Ken Lee, President of Phi Tau Sigma
R: IFT CFS Credential
C: fsadmin

IFT President Roger Clemens sent most members an email with a special limited time offer (rsvp May 25) to bypass a certification exam.  Some believe this is a poorly conceived revenue generator for a once professional society that has morphed into an income fixated non-profit trade group.  Others believe the certification brings a long overdue, invaluable professional credential to the discipline of food science.  I clip below in case you missed it early responses from some of our most respected members, former IFT Presidents and leaders within Phi Tau Sigma and the profession.  Perhaps you can formulate your own opinion and share it with elected leaders at IFT.

I will note with some irony that the PBS news program recently aired an "expose" on the questionable certification program for forensic experts. This of course has little to do with food science, but it illustrates some of the mischief associated with certificates in other professions.  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/criminal-justice/real-csi/no-forensic-background-no-problem/  Steve Barrett provides one of the best summaries of questionable credentials in a field closer to ours, nutrition:  http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/nutritionist.html

As your president, I share my opinion that certificates should be the domain of higher education, but the academics have failed to date in providing a well run program of integrity.  The revenue potential is significant and we notice that the for-profits (eg Phoenix, DeVry, etc.) have not yet entered this business.  One reason is there is limited integrity and questionable motives in what certificates accomplish.  As food science provides both health and the absence of harm, we must take care that there is no possibility of serious injury from a CFS credentialed person. It is this latter point that is most troubling, as few 501c3 organizations carry the legal protections to underwrite such liability.  We thank Roger and the well intentioned professionals at IFT for bringing this issue to the front burner and welcome the discourse it provokes.
-Ken Lee, President of ΦTΣ

p.s. I have blind copied the original addresses below, so some members may get double messages and I apologize for such redundancy.
________________________________
From: Ted Labuza PhD [tplabuza at umn.edu<mailto:tplabuza at umn.edu>]
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 7:45 PM
To: Roger Clemens; Bob Gravani; John Ruff; Bruce Stillings; Catherine Adams; Brenda Knapp-Polzin; Colin Dennis; Mike Davidson; Douglas Marshall; Linda Perucca; Bob Ross; Marilyn Schorin; Craig Sherwin; Justin Shimek; Barry Swanson; Ray Winger; Lee, Ken; Suzanne Nielsen; Daryl Lund; John Finley; John Floros; Mary Schmidl; Robert Shewfelt; Greg Ziegler; Richard Stier; Joe Regenstein; Les Herzog; Pat Dunne; Phil Nelson; Richard Hall; Gilbert Leveille; Litchfield, John; Dave Lineback; Frank Busta; Chuck Manley; Mary Wagner; Rich Hartel
Subject: Re: Certified Food Scientist (CFS) Update

roger

I totally agree with Denny. I feel to is a bad idea and should be abandoned now not later. Note that the Mech. Eng. processional association was sued because one of their members designed a boiler wrong. They lost $$4.5MM out of their endowment.    I don't see the industry clamoring for this and this will not stop  them from hiring Chem Eng. who would not have a food science background. Also it would not make sense for MS and PhD students who will be seeking jobs in the future but may have no undergrad food science. Currently I have 5 of those who fit that chracteristic. It seems to me a money making scheme that will likely be ignored. And most importantly if it can't be stopped it should go through HERB.

On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 7:06 AM, Mary Schmidl <mschmidl at umn.edu<mailto:mschmidl at umn.edu>> wrote:

=
Roger:  I also received your invitation to become a "certified food scientist," and, quite frankly, I am inclined to decline since I see absolutely no value in it.  Furthermore, if I were a chemical engineer working in the food industry in product development, I would wonder why I need this.  Here are some questions to complement those of Dennis (which are very good questions).  Daryl

Process:
1. As a member of the Education Community, we have had absolutely no discussion on this topic (unless I have been oblivious to it).
2. Was the topic presented to the CFSA group for consideration?
3.  Was industry asking for this because of some specific use?  Do they want this to verify that people they hire are capable of designing food products and processes, etc.?
4. Were graduates of our food science programs and those working in the food industry asking for certification because it would serve a specific purpose?  If so, what was the purpose?
5. Were food science educators asking for certification because they wanted to protect their territory within the academy? After all, microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry, agricultural (biological) engineering and chemical engineering among others are all educating students that may eventually be hired by the food industry.
6. Regarding specifically the process to arrive at the conclusion by the Board of Directors to adopt a strategy for "certification," I wonder about the following (since no report on this was ever shared with the membership of IFT - at least none that I am aware of.
a. Appoint a work group or Task Force to evaluate idea of certification (include at least one member of the Board of Directors on the WG/TF).
b. Establish a hypothesis (e.g. Certification will help define the profession and protect the profession from charlatans).
c. Set up a protocol to determine the interest of the following groups in certification:  industry, food science faculty, food science administrators, recent graduates of food science programs, recent hires from fields other than food science, etc.).
d. Draft a report that can be fully vetted with membership including specifically asking comment from CFSA, Education Community, VPs of food industry, people who hire food scientists,  HERB, etc.
e. Modify the report based on comments that are submitted.
f. Submit final report to the Board of Directors.  The Board of Director member on the WG/TF should make the report along with the chair of the WG/TF/
g. Decision by the Board of Directors

This seems to me to be a reasonable approach to decision making and I hope was followed in coming to this conclusion that certification is necessary and needed.
Look forward to any comments coming forth.  Daryl Lund, IFT President 1990-1991

________________________________
From: Finley, John W. [JFinley at agcenter.lsu.edu<mailto:JFinley at agcenter.lsu.edu>]
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 9:56 PM
To: Dennis R Heldman; Roger Clemens, DrPH, CNS, FACN, FIFT
Cc: Bob Gravani; John Ruff; Bruce Stillings; Catherine Adams; Brenda Knapp-Polzin; Colin Dennis; Mike Davidson; Douglas Marshall; Linda Perucca; Bob Ross; Marilyn Schorin; Craig Sherwin; Justin Shimek; Barry Swanson; Ray Winger; Lee, Ken; Suzanne Nielsen; Daryl Lund; John Floros; Mary Schmidl; Robert Shewfelt; Greg Ziegler; Richard Stier; Joe Regenstein; Les Herzog; Pat Dunne; Phil Nelson; Richard Hall; Gilbert Leveille; Litchfield, John; Dave Lineback; Frank Busta; Chuck Manley; Mary Wagner; Rich Hartel
Subject: RE: Certified Food Scientist (CFS) Update

Roger
The Certified Food Science program  is a really bad idea. I fought it without much success on the  board. IFT is opening itself to  enormous liability issues, Not to mention, further insulting academic programs that produce highly  qualified programs already. It is pretty clear  that the  real motivation of this is a strictly a revenue stream for IFT. There has been a lot of time and  resources (consultants) invested in this. Diversion form  the  focus of IFT. I strongly urge you  to  cut the  losses and stop it NOW.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about where I  stand.
We have a wonderful profession and a great organization, let’s not put at risk over an unnecessary diversion.

John

John W. Finley
Professor and Head, Food Science
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Office: 225 578 5085<tel:225%20578%205085>
Cell:     225 571 2711<tel:225%20571%202711>
jfinley at agcenter.lsu.edu<mailto:jfinley at agcenter.lsu.edu>

From: Dennis R Heldman [mailto:drheldman at earthlink.net<mailto:drheldman at earthlink.net>]
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 4:36 PM
To: Roger Clemens, DrPH, CNS, FACN, FIFT
Cc: Bob Gravani; John Ruff; Bruce Stillings; Catherine Adams; Brenda Knapp-Polzin; Colin Dennis; Mike Davidson; Douglas Marshall; Linda Perucca; Bob Ross; Marilyn Schorin; Craig Sherwin; Justin Shimek; Barry Swanson; Ray Winger; Ken Lee; Suzanne Nielsen; Daryl Lund; Finley, John W.; John Floros; Mary Schmidl; Robert Shewfelt; Greg Ziegler; Richard Stier; Joe Regenstein; Les Herzog; Pat Dunne; Phil Nelson; Richard Hall; Gilbert Leveille; John Litchfield; Dave Lineback; Frank Busta; Chuck Manley; Mary Wagner; Rich Hartel
Subject: Re: Certified Food Scientist (CFS) Update

Roger – many of us are really trying to keep an open mind and understand the rationale of a Certified Food Scientist!  Unfortunately, it is difficult to find answers for many of the questions associated with this new IFT initiative.  For example:

1.      How, exactly, does “certification” enhance the Food Science & Technology profession?  IFT already approves undergraduate programs to ensure uniformity among Food Science

         professionals.

2.      Is IFT prepared to deal with liability issues associated with “certification”?

3.      At what point in time can a graduate from an undergraduate program take an examination and become certified?  Is there a period of work experience required before certification

         is possible?

4.      How can IFT prevent this initiative from undermining the efforts of the HERB?

5.      Who will determine the content of the examination to be taken before the applicant is certified?

6.      How will certification fill the talent pipeline beyond those already pursuing Food Science & Technology careers?

7.      Will certification provide a pathway for individuals from backgrounds other than Food Science to become food science professionals?
In order to ensure that the integrity of IFT Approve Undergraduate Programs is not compromised, the “certification” initiative must be managed by the Higher Education Review Board (HERB). The core competencies established by the HERB define and maintain the Food Science & Technology profession.  The examination questions must be created by faculty involved in teaching courses associated with the approved programs.  Literally, it should be impossible to pass the certification examination without meeting the core competencies established by the HERB.
Bottom line, unless the two programs (IFT Approved Programs and IFT Certification) are closely coordinated, the integrity of approved programs will be undermined, and the role of the Food Science academic community will be diminished.  If the Council of Food Science Administrators (CFSA) has endorsed this certification effort, it is not evident.
Hopefully, there is more background on this initiative to be shared.
                                                                                Denny Heldman

Dennis R. Heldman, PhD
Heldman Associates
5224 Kings Mills Rd; #314
Mason, OH 45040
drheldman at earthlink.net<mailto:drheldman at earthlink.net>
203-770-0508<tel:203-770-0508>

From: Roger Clemens, DrPH, CNS, FACN, FIFT<mailto:noreply at ift.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2012 10:45 AM
To: Dennis Heldman<mailto:drheldman at earthlink.net>
Subject: Certified Food Scientist (CFS) Update

[International Food Science Certification Committee]

Dear Dennis,

This is a critical time for the food science profession. There is heightened attention on global food needs and feeding the world’s growing population. As food scientists, we know the important contributions that food science research and innovation has made and will need to make in meeting food safety and sufficiency challenges. One of our organizational strategic goals is to ensure that the visibility and prominence of food science—and food scientists—is well recognized and acknowledged. To help do so, we are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative, the Certified Food Scientist (CFS) credential.

Through this credential, for the first time, our profession will have a formal certification program to recognize the applied scientific knowledge and skills of food scientists. This certification, obtained by passing an exam, tests food scientists on a central body of knowledge that defines the core professional competencies of a food scientist and serves as a mark of distinction and trust. We are excited that this certification will help fill the talent pipeline so that organizations can readily identify qualified personnel in the global food industry.

As an IFT leader, you have been part of the strategic vision that continues to shape our profession. You have served as a mentor to our community and contributed to countless scientific advances in food science. To recognize these important achievements, we have created a One Time Alternative Assessment program for leaders like you. It allows you to obtain the CFS certification through a peer review process, instead of taking the certification examination. As a token of our immense gratitude, we would like to honor you for your exceptional leadership by waiving the application fee and, following approval, recognizing you this June at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo. In order to do so, we ask that you please apply for your One Time Alternative Assessment by May 25, 2012.

I hope I can count on you as a dedicated IFT leader to attain the CFS credential as a demonstration of your continued leadership and recognition of the importance of lifelong learning. By being one of the first to attain the CFS, we can inspire other food scientists to do the same. As prominent members of IFT, we also have the privilege and opportunity of serving as examples for our community as we continue to raise the prominence and credibility of our profession.

For more information on how to apply for the One Time Alternative Assessment and to learn more about the CFS, please visit ift.org/cfsota<http://listserv.ift.org/t/1618056/7902966/110551/0/> or email info at ift.org<mailto:info at ift.org>.

Sincerely,

Roger Clemens, DrPH, CNS, FACN, FIFT
IFT President

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--
Gary Reineccius
Prof and Head
University of Minnesota
Food Science and Nutrition Department
1334 Eckles Ave.
St Paul, MN 55108

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