2006 laureates recognized before 7,000 people at Institute of Food Technologists and World Congress of Soil Scientists

(DES MOINES, IA, USA) – Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President of the World Food Prize Foundation, recently recognized the 2006 World Food Prize Laureates before 7,000 people at two international conferences.

On June 26 Ambassador Quinn spoke before more than 5,000 food experts at the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) 2006 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL.  On July 10 he appeared before an audience of approximately 2,000 at the 18th World Congress of Soil Scientists (WCSS) in Philadelphia, PA.

At both meetings, Ambassador Quinn outlined the achievements of the three individuals being honored for their pioneering work in soil science and policy implementation that helped transform Brazil’s Cerrado—a region of vast, infertile tropical high plains named from Portuguese words meaning “closed, inaccessible land”—into highly productive crop land. The three laureates are: Dr. A. Colin McClung, Washington Representative of the IRI Research Institute; former Brazil Minister of Agriculture Alysson Paolinelli; and former Technical Director of EMBRAPA Cerrado Research Center Edson Lobato of Brazil.

Dr. McClung joined Ambassador Quinn in attendance at the WCSS. McClung later spoke in a roundtable discussion billed by organizers as a “who’s who in soil science” that included nearly 25 notable experts. The keynote address at the WCSS was delivered by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and author of “The End of Poverty.” The 2002 World Food Prize Laureate, Dr. Pedro Sanchez, also participated in the session.

The 2006 Annual Meeting of the IFT played host to over 20,000 food professionals from across the world. The event included IFT’s annual Food Expo, which each year showcases the latest in food technology. Ambassador Quinn expressed his special appreciation to IFT President Margaret Lawson and Executive Director Barbara Byrd Keenan for this special opportunity.

The 2006 World Food Prize will be awarded to McClung, Paolinelli and Lobato on October 19 at the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines, IA.

Please visit the Institute of Food Technologists and the International Union of Soil Sciences for more information.