Technical Field Trips

IFT’s Technical Field Trips take you out of the classroom and put you into the real world.  Visit local businesses to gain an insider’s view of the ways in which food science and technology are being applied.

All Technical Field Trips will depart from and return to McCormick Place South, Gate 3, at the times listed in the tour descriptions. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure time.  Only registered attendees are permitted on Technical Field Trips.

Select the appropriate Technical Field Trip from the Ticketed Event options when registering.  Tickets will be mailed with your registration materials.  No exchange or refund after June 10, 2013.  IFT reserves the right to cancel Technical Field Trips which do not meet minimum participation requirements.  You will receive notification and a refund if canceled.

Facilities reserve the right to review registration lists and deny participation to individuals they deem as having a conflict of interest.  Participants may be required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

McDonald’s Corporation and Hamburger University®
Monday, July 15, 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., $50.00

McDonald’s® is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving nearly 50 million people in more than 119 countries each day.  Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, McDonald’s Corporation employs approximately 2,800 individuals who provide a wide variety of support functions to the restaurants around the globe. The tour will begin at Hamburger University, a 130,000 square foot facility which trains more than 5,000 restaurant managers each year.  The University is the company’s global center of excellence for operations training and leadership development and houses a museum of McDonald’s memorabilia. The tour will continue with a 10-minute walk (transportation provided if needed) through the ground to the Campus Office Building where the group will tour the Executive Chef Kitchen and learn how new food ideas are developed, view the testing protocol and sensory panel booths, and see the operational testing area that ensures that all stores can execute new products. The tour will conclude with lunch at the on-site McDonald’s restaurant which serves as the prototype for new equipment, food and beverage products, and restaurant design innovations.  For additional information on McDonald’s, visit their website at mcdonalds.com.

Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) – Main Campus:
The Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) - Center for Nutrition Research and The University Technology Park
Monday, July 15, 8:30 – 11:30 a.m., $30.00

The Center for Nutrition Research (CNR) conducts human nutrition and clinical studies to determine the health benefits of foods and food components in a variety of specialty areas.  CNR substantiates health claims through evidence-based science. Participants on the tour will see the Clinical Nutrition Research Center with a metabolic kitchen, human subject feeding suites, multiple clinical examination rooms, and the biochemistry lab that includes a state-of-the-art automated clinical analyzer for real-time patient specimen analysis. The University Technology Park at IIT (UTP) is Illinois’ and Chicago’s premier location for established and startup technology companies to grow and thrive in areas such as smart grid, food technology, and life sciences. The UTP has many facilities including a brand-new incubator, state-of-the-art move-in-ready office suite, a business technology center and wet/dry lab spaces. Emerging companies can hit the ground running with flexible lab and office space, or longer-term build-to-suit options. The high-tech companies at UTP benefit from unparalleled access to like-minded entrepreneurs and researchers, IIT’s high-caliber student work force, funding assistance, and the full range of sophisticated equipment and instrumentations on IIT’s campus. Participants on the tour will see selected open office, lab and incubator spaces as well as a case study presentation from a UTP tenant. Non-slip shoes with no open toes are necessary for walking in the pilot plant and laboratory areas.  Protective glasses, lab coats, and hard hats will be provided as needed. For additional information on the IFSH Center for Nutrition Research and The University Technology Park, visit their websites at iit.edu/ifsh/research_centers/ncnr  and
universitytechnologypark.com.

Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) – Moffett Campus: The Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH)
Tuesday, July 16, 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., $30.00

The Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) was launched in April 2011 as part of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). At the Moffett Campus, IFSH houses four centers: National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST), Center for Processing Innovation (CPI), Center for Nutrition Research (CNR), and Center for Specialty Programs (CSP). The NCFST is the legacy consortium of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Illinois Institute of Technology, and over 60 food industry members.  At the NCFST, FDA research scientists and IIT professors, technicians, and graduate students work collaboratively on food safety research and education. The CPI conducts innovative applied science research on new and emerging processing technologies. The CNR conducts pre-clinical (Moffett Campus) and clinical studies (IIT Main Campus) on health promoting aspects of foods and ingredients. The CSP operates a select agent lab (Clostridium botulinum) and conducts unique proficiency testing programs. The tour of the facilities will highlight the expertise of IFSH by showcasing the Bio-containment pilot plant, GMP pilot plant, processing areas for high pressure, pulsed light, cool plasma, laboratories for microbiological and instrumental analysis. Non-slip shoes with no open toes are necessary for walking in the pilot plant and laboratory areas.  Protective glasses, lab coats, and hard hats will be provided as needed. For additional information on the Institute for Food Safety and Health, visit their website at iit.edu/ifsh/research_centers.
 
Knechtel
Tuesday, July 16, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., $30.00

Knechtel is a full-service international food and pharmaceutical consultant that assists clients with creating new products, evaluating new ingredients, improving existing products and problem solving.  From bench top to full scale production, Knechtel is
involved in the following processes – snack food, nutraceuticals/pharmaceuticals, confectionery (applications such as panning, enrobing, molding, depositing), tableting and encapsulation, chewing gum, liquid and dry mix blending and filling operations. Their 25,000 square foot research laboratory consists of five buildings and is equipped with a broad array of equipment in both laboratory and pilot plant sizes.  The tour of the
facility will include demonstrations of various food, nutraceutical, confectionary/chocolate, soft drink, bakery operations, and other processes.  Participants will be separated into smaller groups, allowed to view each operation, and where possible taste and examine intermediate resulting products from the demonstrations. For additional information on Knechtel, visit their website at knechtel.com.