Recently, the Food Science and Engineering Specialty of College of Food Science and Technology, SHOU successfully passed the international certification assessment conducted by IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) in 2015, being the first undergraduate specialty to passinternational certification. Shanghai Ocean University has therefore become the third university in China to passsuch certification, after Jiangnan University and Zhejiang University.
IFT was founded in 1939.Headquartered in Chicago, US, itis the most authoritative and influential institute recognized internationally in the circle of food science and technology. IFT has established the certification and related standards for undergraduate education of food science, and has them revised from time to time, so as to facilitate universities andassess the effect of their undergraduate programs. IFT High Education Review Board uses those standards to assess the capabilities essential for undergraduate students majoring in food science. Currently, there are a numberof well-known universities in food science education and research certified by IFT, including Cornell University, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Purdue University, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, University of California-Davis, and University of British Columbia, among others.
The College of Food Science and Technology started IFT certification work in August, 2013, when a work team headed by college leaders was formed to coordinate and carry out preparatory work for the certification.The initial application was sentto IFT last year. The initial certification attempt failed, due to lack of experience. In 2015, the work team summarized the experience on the basis of the application process in the previousyear, sorted out the problems and made improvements accordingly.They then applied for certification once more at the end of August. In December 2015, IFT High Education Review Board granted the international certification to food science specialty of College of Food Science and Technology, SHOU after review of the application materials.