A professor at Stellies University is taking the lead at an international scientific non-profit shaping conversations around how the world produces, protects and improves its food.
Stellenbosch, South Africa (03 September 2026) – Food safety, nutrition, water use, processing and how we’ll feed a growing world sustainably. There is a lot happening behind the scenes of the global food system. A South African scientist will now be leading many of those conversations!
Professor Gunnar Sigge of Stellenbosch University has officially taken over as president of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
The organisation has existed since 1939 and serves a global community of more than 200,000 experts working across food science, nutrition, public health, research and industry.
Food scientists, researchers, producers, product developers and other experts all work in hand with the organisation on the very big business of making food safer, more nutritious, more sustainable and more accessible.
IFT plays its role by sharing scientific research and expertise, and helping make sure that credible food science has a place in the decisions being made about the future of what we eat.
Sigge is an associate professor and head of Stellenbosch University’s Department of Food Science. He studied food science at Stellenbosch himself, and earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees there before making an academic full circle by going on to lead the department.
He has also served as Chair of the Department of Food Science since 2009, where he has guided and mentored South Africa’s top young food scientists.
Sigge’s research interests stretch across challenges facing the food industry, including food safety, sustainable water use, food processing wastewater and new ways of disinfecting food and irrigation water.
“We are facing incredibly complex and interconnected challenges across the global food system, and no one discipline, sector, or part of the world can address them alone,” said Sigge.
We’re Crying! Community Puts Together Wedding for Jestelene and Blacks
SA Photographer Wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award for Shoebill Shot!Sigge has been involved with IFT for years, including serving on its Board of Directors from 2021 to 2024 and contributing to several of its scientific and leadership teams.
At home in South Africa, he has also been involved with the South African Association for Food Science and Technology since 1997, and was closely involved in establishing Stellenbosch University’s master’s programme in food and nutrition security. He has worked with several other scientific organisations.
“Gunnar brings a valuable global perspective, deep scientific expertise, and a strong understanding of the opportunities ahead for IFT and the food science community,” said IFT CEO Christie Tarantino-Dean.
Sigge will serve his tenure as IFT president for one year.
“What excites me about taking on this role is the opportunity to build on IFT’s unique ability to connect people and perspectives from across the global food science community. There is so much we can learn from one another, and I believe IFT has an important role to play in creating those connections, equipping food science professionals with the knowledge and resources they need, and bringing credible science to the conversations shaping the future of food.” he said.
by 
