IFSQN Profiles Increasing Role of Women in Food Quality

Released on: April 15, 2008, 11:19 am

Press Release Author: Thomas R. Cutler

Industry: Marketing

Press Release Summary: IFSQN Profiles Increasing Role of Women in Food Quality

Press Release Body: The innovative nature of food science is also more attractive to
women. It can be a very creative field, where new foods and food ingredients are
developed. The increase of women in the field of food science is also being seen at
Chapman University in Orange, California, where Professor of Food Science, Dr.
Anuradha Prakash, Ph.D., noted that the ratio of men to women is 80/20; "About ten
years ago it was sixty percent women, and another ten years before that it was just
the opposite."
Prakash insisted, "It's not just chefs who exercise their creativity; food
scientists do that as well." As seen in the industrial manufacturing world, women's
ability to pay attention to detail is also touted as a reason why more women are
being employed in the quality control and quality assurance (QA/QC) areas of food
science. "When we walk through food factories and plants, you see a lot more women
employed in QA/QC," and she believes it is a woman's ability to be very careful
about details that makes them so good at these jobs. "I've noticed that it is
always the women on the QA floor that are the 'pickiest' in terms of making sure a
food product meets quality standards," argued Prakash. Women are bringing to the
food industry an increased emphasis on health and food safety. With more women in
the food science field, the direct connection between food and health will come to
the forefront.



Manufacturing journalist, Thomas R. Cutler recently profiled, The Role of Women in
Food Quality in the current issue of IFSQN (International Food Safety and Quality
Network.) The full article can be read at
http://ifsqn.com/articles_detail.php?newsdesk_id=465&t=The+Increasing+Role+of+Women+in+Food+Quality.

According to Cutler, "Industrial manufacturing is not the only industry that is
experiencing changes from the influx of women; the food science field is actually
seeing a complete turnaround in the ratio of men to women. "Food science has as its
cornerstone chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and nutrition," explained Dr.
Stephanie Doores, Ph.D., undergraduate program and placement coordinator for Penn
State University's Department of Food Science. "About thirty years ago, the student
population was mostly male and now we are predominantly female."
According to Doores, women bring certain skill sets to food science that makes them
successful employees. She lists "better attention to detail, good at time
management, and the ability to work well in a team setting" among the beneficial
qualities that women bring to the workforce. In the food industry, a lot of the
development work is done in team settings. "You might have a chemist, a
microbiologist, an engineer and a sensory person (someone who tastes food products)
working together on a project," said Doores. "Women work very well in these team
settings and are especially good at 'juggling' a lot of different projects."
About TR Cutler, Inc.:
TR Cutler, Inc. (www.trcutlerinc.com) was founded by Thomas R. Cutler almost a
decade ago. Cutler maintains extraordinary relationships with clients, journalists,
editors, trendsetters, and key business leaders worldwide and has become a key
resource for those writing about the manufacturing sector.
Thomas R. Cutler is the most frequently published manufacturing journalist and
serves as contributed contributing editor more than three hundred publications
annual. The scope of publications ranges from Automation.com to Quality Digest. A
sample of Cutler's feature articles can be located on the TR Cutler, Inc. website.

TR Cutler, Inc.
www.trcutlerinc.com
Thomas Cutler
trcutler@trcutlerinc.com
888-902-0300


Web Site: http://www.trcutlerinc.com

Contact Details: TR Cutler, Inc.
3032 S. Oakland Forest Dr.
Suite 2803
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl 33309
888-902-0300

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