BU to host global culinary conference ICCAS

Page published: 3 March 2011

In April Bournemouth University will bring together culinary artists and scientists from all over the world when it hosts the seventh International Conference on Culinary Arts and Sciences.

The conference, from April 12 to 14, will give experts and practitioners the opportunity to exchange ideas and develop themes of mutual interest relating to foodservice, nutrition, food marketing and much more.

Hosting the event will be the Foodservice and Applied Nutrition Research Group, which is part of the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research, based in BU’s School of Tourism.

Dr Heather Hartwell, an Associate Professor within the research group, said: “The food and foodservice industries are a large and integral part of most economies but in academia they are invariably treated as separate and distinct disciplines. These operate in isolation, often blissfully unaware of what each other are doing. The primary purpose of the conference, therefore, has and continues to be to break down barriers which might exist and bring people together so that each can see, not only what the other is doing, but also to foster a better understanding of some of the issues, problems and concerns they have.”

In addition to developing the central thrust of the conference, the themes will focus on:

• Foodservice (Catering and Hospitality)

Topics include: menus, menu planning, food variety and choice, portion size, food provenance, foodservice in society, education, foodservice and catering systems, foodservice work and culture.

• Food and Cultural Tourism

Topics include: acculturation, heritage foods, wine and beer tourism, catering and the tourist, and the various interactions between food, drink, culture and identity.

• Nutrition, Food Science and Technology

Topics include: nutrition, wellbeing, food science, food safety and food technology.

• Food Marketing, Food Habits and Consumer Behaviour

Topics include: the marketing of food and foodservice, eating and drinking habits and the interactions between food, drink and hospitality.

The idea for an International Conference on Culinary Arts and Sciences was first discussed in late 1993 when the Worshipful Company of Cooks of London established a Centre for Culinary Research at BU.  At the time it was felt there was a need for a forum that could bring together culinary artists and scientists who could present their research and generally discuss ideas within a multidisciplinary and relaxed environment.

These initial thoughts led to the first conference (ICCAS) which was held at BU in 1996.  It proved to be so successful that further conferences were held at BU in 1998, the University of Cairo, Egypt in 2001, Örebro University, Sweden in 2003, Warsaw Agriculture University, Poland, in 2005 and finally the Norwegian Hotel School, University of Stavanger in 2008.

Dr Hartwell added: “The 2011 conference at Bournemouth will be stimulating and thought provoking and we would like to thank the Worshipful Company of Cooks who have again been the main sponsor.”

For more information about ICCAS 2011 please visit our website: www.iccas2011.com.