AIFST Annual Awards

The AIFST Keith Farrer Award of Merit 2025

The 2025 award winner is Dr Christopher Downs.

The Keith Farrer award of merit is the Institute’s highest honour, recognising a person’s remarkable contribution to the Institute and the Australian agrifood sector through advancements in food science and technology.

This Award was established to honour the legacy of Dr Keith Farrer OBE, a pioneering scientist and author, who was involved in the formation of the AIFST in 1967. Dr Farrer was one of Australia’s foremost food scientists.  

He spent 43 years with Kraft Food Ltd, beginning as a research scientist and retiring as Chief Scientist.  He was the author or more than 140 scientific and technological papers and several books on food history in Australia.  He was appointed OBE in 1979 for his services to science and industry.

Congratulations to Chris, whose 30+ years of leadership have turned food research into real-world impact — from CSIRO and v2food to the Food and Beverage Accelerator — positioning Australia as a global food innovation leader

The AIFST President's Award 2025

The 2025 award winner is Dr Martin Palmer.

The AIFST President’s Award recognises an individual who has provided exceptional and ongoing support for the Institute.

Congratulations to Martin who was recognised for his exceptional and longstanding support of AIFST.

A Fellow of the Institute, he has contributed extensively to food australia as an author, editor and reviewer, and is well known for his ARC Research Roundup.

As a member of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee, convention organiser, chair and judge, Martin has shaped the Institute’s direction.

With over 40 years’ experience, his expertise, generosity and mentorship have been invaluable to AIFST.

The AIFST Food Safety Award 2025 - Individual

This is a new award established in 2025  recognising a significant Australian contribution to advancing food safety.

The award celebrates individuals, teams or organisations that have made significant contributions to improving food safety through research, education, advocacy, or practical application.

It highlights leadership and commitment to ensuring a safer food supply for all Australians.

Congratulations to the AIFST Food Safety Award individual winner: Sukhvinder Pal (SP) Singh, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. 

SP is recognised for his outstanding contributions to horticultural food safety in Australia.

AIFST Food Safety Award 2025 - Organisation

Congratulations to the 2025 winning organisation of the AIFST Food Safety Award - The Allergen Bureau. 

The Allergen Bureau is recognised for its transformative 20‑year contribution to allergen management in the food industry.

Through the pioneering Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling (VITAL®) Program, the Bureau has set a globally recognised, science‑based standard for allergen risk assessment and precautionary labelling. 

Its tools — including VITAL Online, certification programs, and practical guidance — have been adopted internationally, with endorsement from bodies such as FAO/WHO and influence on Codex standards.

The Allergen Bureau has advanced allergen management locally and globally through science, collaboration, and leadership.

AIFST Emerging Leader Award 2025

The 2025 Award recipient is Thomas Leadbetter, University of Melbourne.

This award was created as a means of celebrating the accomplishments, leadership potential and commitment of a younger food scientist and/or technologist within the Australian agrifood sector.

Congratulations to Thomas a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, he is advancing research into Australian native bushfoods with cultural sensitivity, while mentoring students and contributing to professional networks.

His leadership, collaboration, and commitment to food science mark him as an outstanding future leader.

The AIFST Jack Kefford Research Publication Award 2025

This award recognises the publication of an outstanding original research paper judged to have provided the most significant contribution in building knowledge in the field of food science and technology. 

The Award is named in honour of Mr Jack Kefford who provided enormous input to the science and technology of food as Officer-in-Charge of the CSIRO Food Research Laboratory, Assistant Chief of the CSIRO Division of Food Research, as a scientist of international repute, as AIFST President (1971-1973) and as a Technical Editor of food australia. 

The 2025 winning paper was: 'Assessing the functional and physicochemical properties of chia seed mucilage extracted using an innovative extraction method'.

Authors: Divyang Solanki, Pramesh Dhungana, Qiu Yi Tan, Regis Badin, Bhesh Bhandari, Jatindra K. Sahu, and Sangeeta Prakash).

Published in Food Hydrocolloids in 2024. 

The AIFST Bruce Chandler Literature Award 2025

This award recognises the authorship of books or substantial reviews deemed to have made the most significant contribution to food science and technology. 

The award is named in honour of AIFST Past President, Bruce Chandler, who had a long association with the journal food australia, first as an Associate Editor then member of the Editorial Board between 1969 and 1978.

Notably he was Literature Editor for 12 years from 2001, a function which he performed with extreme dedication.

The 2025 winner was 'Food rheology applications of large amplitude oscillation shear (LAOS)' authored by Dr Yong Wang and Professor Cordelia Selomulya, and published in Trends in Food Science & Technology in 2022.

The AIFST Sensory Solutions Tony Williams Sensory Award 2025

The 2025 Award Winner was Jessica Cartwright, University of Queensland.

This award is for young members of AIFST recognising their contribution to the advancement of the food sensory field. The AIFST Sensory Award is sponsored annually by Sensory Solutions in honour of Dr Anthony (Tony) Williams.

Dr Williams was one of the pioneers of the sensory research industry in the United Kingdom and a world authority in sensory and consumer science. Tony’s enthusiasm and passion helped establish sensory research in Australia. 

The 2025 Award was for Jessica's research titled 'A hedonic sensory trial: exploring the influence of sugar content in acceptability of a beverage system for a diverse range of consumers'.

Thank you to Sensory Solutions for your ongoing support for this award.

The AIFST Foodbank Hunger Hero Award 2025

This award acknowledges extraordinary efforts to address food insecurity in Australia. Whether it’s championing a new initiative within a company or volunteering time and expertise in the community, AIFST and Foodbank want to recognise an individual or team contribution and hold them up as an inspiration to others.

The Foodbank Hunger Hero award winner for 2025 is Bianca Tamou, National Weigh Label Room Manager at Inghams.

Bianca has been a tireless champion for Foodbank, helping ensure a steady supply of chicken and turkey products reaches the Foodbank network nationwide.

In FY25 alone, Ingham's donated 1,123,839 kg of protein – that’s 2,024,935 meals for Australians doing it tough.

What began in Queensland has grown into a partnership that now supports every Foodbank across Australia.

The AIFST Peter Seale Innovation Award 2025

This award celebrates a significant Australian technological advancement in the agrifood sector that has achieved tangible results in the market. The award is given in honour of AIFST Past President, Peter Seale, who held that role from 1973-1975.

Winner: The Arnott’s Group for the Gluten Free Tim Tam

This award recognises Arnott’s bold ambition and technical innovation in developing a gluten-free Tim Tam that replicates the original consumer experience.

The project was entirely developed and executed in Australia, with significant investment in R&D, the design and installation of new manufacturing equipment, and the creation of a dedicated allergen-controlled facility.

Endorsed by Coeliac Australia, the product maintains the highest food safety and allergen management standards. 

AIFST Student Product Development Award 

The 2025 Award Winners are Britney Kay Parker and Nur Humairah Binte Noor Isandar, Murdoch University for their product concept Kimchi-flavoured chips.

This award was relaunched this year at Murdoch University showcasing creativity, real-world problem solving, and future-focused food innovation.

A big thank you to our WA Student Product Development Competition partners for supporting this inspiring award and fostering food science innovation.

They are:

• Baiada
  
• Curtin University
  
• Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  
• Eurofins
  
• FB Rice
  
• Merieux NutriSciences AQ
  
• Mount Barker Free Range Chicken
  
• Murdoch University
  
• Symbio Laboratories.
  

The AIFST Research Poster Award 2025

This award recognises a postgraduate student poster presentation of recent work that shares knowledge, fosters collaboration, recognises innovative thinking, and engages a scientific audience.

The challenge for students is to effectively communicate and justify the key learnings of their work to an interested scientific audience. In 2025 the platform was both virtual and in person.  

The poster finalists were invited to exhibit at AIFST25.

The judges would like to thank all participants in the 2025 AIFST Research Poster Competition.

They found the research topics encompassed a broad range of interesting and engaging subjects and spanned a wide range of disciplines.

Posters were presented in a clear and eye-catching way with data presented in a thoughtful narrative. 

Thank you to our Poster Partner SQF Institute