Pearl's Powder: New Certification Program for Food Scientists by IFT

IFT Launches New Certification Program for Food Scientists

New Certified Food Scientist Program Formally Recognizes Applied Knowledge and Skills

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) announced the new Certified Food Scientist (CFS) credential – a new way to recognize food scientists.
Through this program, the food science profession will have a formal certification program to recognize the applied scientific knowledge and skills of food scientists.

Objectives:

The CFS credential will:

Demonstrate the professions’ commitment to safe and quality foods for consumers;
Promote lifelong learning and complements both academic learning and work experience;
Provide food scientists with a way to demonstrate their applied professional skills and knowledge through a third party, independent assessment tool;
Help employers and practitioners identify individuals with certain knowledge and skills;
Raise the visibility and credibility of the food science profession through a certification program; and
Build a foundation for ethical standards moving forward that will benefit the entire profession.

Requirements for Candidates?

To become a Certified Food Scientist, a food professional must complete an application and meet certain eligibility requirements. These include one of the following:

MS or Doctorate in food science, food science concentration or global equivalent + 2 years full-time food science experience
BS in food science, food science concentration or global equivalent + 3 years full-time food science experience
MS or Doctorate in related science or global equivalent + 4 years full-time food science experience
BS in related science or global equivalent + 6 years of full-time food science experience

The exam is comprised of 100 multiple choice questions in the following content areas:

Product Development
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Food Chemistry and Food Analysis
Regulatory
Food Microbiology
Food Safety
Food Engineering
Sensory Evaluation and Consumer Testing

The questions are scenario-based items that:

Present a problem situation.
Ask the test taker to consider all of the available information in the item.
Ask the test taker to select a response that is the best based on the intended response to the conditions and the information provided.

To view a sample question, please click here. Additional sample questions and the exam content outline are in the Candidate Handbook.

Fees

The CFS certification exam will be offered at more than 250 global testing centers. The first testing

opportunity will take place in February of 2013.

For a limited time, food scientists with at least a Bachelor’s of Science Degree (in food science, food science concentration or a related science) and at least 15 years of full-time experience post-bachelor degree are eligible to apply for certification under the One Time Alternative Assessment program. This opportunity is available through January 18, 2013.

For more details on the CFS program, including eligibility, exam fees and how to apply, please visit www.ift.org/certification.

Is it required for Food Scientists in the MENA region?

The new Certified Food Scientist (CFS) credential is also preferred for everyone residing in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, all middle eastern and GCC countries..etc

There are centers in each country for doing the test. All details found in the handbook.

About IFT

For more than 70 years, IFT has existed to advance the science of food. Our nonprofit scientific society—more than 18,000 members from more than 100 countries—brings together food scientists, technologists and related professions from academia, government, and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org.