Ice Cream Technology Conference

Xaq Frohlich joined Auburn University’s Department of History in the fall of 2017. His research focuses on the historical intersections of science, law, and markets, and how the three have shaped our modern, everyday understanding of food, risk, and responsibility. His work explores questions relating to consumerism and the changing relationships between the state, experts, and the public in the production of everyday knowledge: how do we “know” what we know about food and its relation to health? In what ways has our informational environment for food changed with the industrialization of food production and retailing?

Frohlich is currently completing a book manuscript, From Label to Table: Regulating Food in the Information Age, which explores the history of efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to manage food markets through the regulation of food labels in the second half of the twentieth century. The book explores the evolving policy debates between government officials, food industry representatives, consumer advocacy groups, and medical professionals over what kinds of expert information should the public, or even does the public need to know about the foods American consumers purchase at the supermarket.

Frohlich earned his PhD in history, anthropology, and STS at MIT in 2011. He was a 2016–2017 visiting fellow at the Institute for Historical Studies in the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin, a Fulbright scholar in Spain, a visiting professor at the University of Vienna and Paris Dauphine University, and a postdoc at KAIST in South Korea. He teaches the Technology & Civilizations I & II core sequence and also teaches courses on food and power, the intersections of science, technology and the law, and the history of business and capitalism.

Darren Seifer (pronounced SIGH Fur) brings more than 20 years of expertise at Circana to his role as an industry advisor for the CPG and foodservice industries. He is a contributing author of Circana’s annual Eating Patterns in America report, a compilation of all food and foodservice research the company conducts over the year. Darren also provides insights based on Circana’s food-related research to organizations and companies across the country and has authored food and beverage research reports on the health state of U.S. consumers, the dynamics of meal delivery kits, what’s inside America’s kitchens, and the Future of Snacking.

Darren is a frequent speaker at industry events hosted by organizations like The IDFA, The National Confectioners Association, The Food Institute, and GroceryShop. He is a frequently quoted industry expert in outlets such as the NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.

Rich Draper is the CEO and Co-founder of The Ice Cream Club, Inc. headquartered in Boynton Beach, FL. Starting in 1982 with a single ice cream scoop shop, The Ice Cream Club, Inc. has steadily grown to become the leading Regional Manufacturer and Distributor of premium ice cream and related products to food service accounts throughout the Southeastern United States and Caribbean Islands. The Ice Cream Club, Inc. supplies over 650 ice cream shops, high-end restaurants, resorts and retirement communities. Pints of their premium ice cream are available direct to the customer via ecommerce.

Rich serves on the International Dairy Foods Association Executive Council and as Vice Chairman of the International Dairy Foods Association Ice Cream Board. In addition, he is the Interim Chairman of All Star Purchasing. He is past Chairman of the National Ice Cream Retailers Association, Suppliers Division.

Rich and The Ice Cream Club, Inc. support numerous organizations including the March of Dimes, the Literacy Coalition, Alzheimer Association, Diabetes Association, Hospice by the Sea and local police and schools.

Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Iowa State University and Master of Science in Food Safety from Michigan State University.  His master’s project at MSU was Food Allergen Control where he had the opportunity to use his research to teach an online graduate course in Allergen Management.  He has spent the past 40+ years as a Food Safety Professional in the food processing industries that include dairy (ice cream), egg and meat.  As a Food Safety Professional, he has authored numerous Food Safety and HAACP Plans to include prerequisite programs that support those plans.  Additionally, he has developed and implemented Allergen Cleaning Verification and Validation Processes.  He also directs the operations of Wells’ ISO 17025 Accredited Microbiological Laboratory which includes an allergen testing lab that supports the Food Safety Programs in the Wells production facilities.  As a foundation to these responsibilities, he is a certified HACCP Trainer through HACCP Alliance, a FSPCA Lead Instructor for PCQI certification, sits on the Board of Directors at Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) and an active participant in research projects with academia.

Dr. Rafael Garcia is a Research Chemical Engineer in ARS’s Dairy and Functional Foods Research Unit. He specializes in developing new utilization opportunities for agricultural and food processing byproducts. His current research focuses on waste product generated in ice cream manufacture. Prior to his current position, he worked with byproducts of meat production.

Rafael holds a PhD in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from University of Arizona, a Master’s in Food Science from Cornell University, and a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences from UC Davis.

Dr. Douglas Goff is a Professor in the Department of Food Science at the University of Guelph, Canada. He is well known internationally for his ice cream expertise. He has done extensive research over a 35-year span on ice cream structure, ingredients, manufacturing and quality, which has been published and presented widely around the world. He has written over 200 research and technical papers. He is the co-author of the textbook “Ice Cream, 7^th Edition”, 2013, with Prof. Richard Hartel of the University of Wisconsin. At the University of Guelph, Prof. Goff has taught an annual 1-week ice cream science and technology course for industry personnel for 30 years. He also teaches biennial ice cream science and technology courses for the Dairy Industry Association of Australia in Melbourne and at University College Cork in Ireland.

Kris Sollid, RD is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for improving nutrition science communications. As the Senior Director of Nutrition Communications at the International Food Information Council (IFIC), Kris leads IFIC’s nutrition team. In this role, Kris is integral to IFIC’s consumer research on food perceptions, beliefs and behaviors through its annual Food and Health Survey and other topic-specific consumer research projects, which he regularly shares with nutrition professionals on national and global platforms. Kris has authored and co-authored peer-reviewed publications of IFIC’s consumer research in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Cereal Foods World and Nutrition Today.

Kris is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In addition to leading IFIC’s continuing professional education program through the Commission on Dietetic Registration, he recently served eight consecutive years (2013-2021) in leadership roles on the Board of Directors of DCMAND, the Academy’s District of Columbia Metro affiliate.

Kris has earned degrees from the University of Colorado, Boulder (BA in Geography) and the University of Maryland, College Park (BS in Dietetics).

Stephen Cobbe is a Global RD&A Senior Director within the Integrated Technology Systems team at Kerry.  He has developed and led several R&D teams across Food and Beverage in the US team at Kerry. Most recently, Stephen's team has worked on several novel innovation platforms in fluid dairy to deliver more functional, sustainable and nutritionally beneficial dairy market products and solutions.  He has a BSc and PhD in Chemistry from University College Dublin, Ireland.

As Vice President of Business Development at Kerry, Vivien oversees high performing teams focused on a portfolio of functional and nutritional ingredients for the Food, Beverage, and Supplement markets. With over 16 years’ experience working for Kerry, Vivien spent most of her career leading the Research & Development function within Kerry’s Applied Health and Nutrition business. She has made a distinguished contribution in the field of Food Waste mitigation, Health, and Wellness enhancement & Plant Protein technology. Vivien is a graduate of University of College Cork, Ireland with a bachelor's degree in food science, and a subsequent Doctorate in Microbiology.

Elsebeth Baungaard is Product and Concept manager Extrusion, in Tetra Pak Ice Cream Solutions. Elsebeth has been working at Tetra Pak for more than 20 years and during this time she has worked in different positions, beginning as Mechanical Engineer, advancing to Technical Product Manager and to Project Development Manager. With her background in mechanical design and later as product creation project manager, Elsebeth has acquired wide and in-depth insight in ice cream technology. She has worked with a wide range of the Tetra Pak ice cream portfolio, has contributed her knowledge to sales situations and has gained valuable knowledge of all parts of the value chain. Elsebeth has a Master of Science in design and production from Aalborg University, and has a recently applied to the Product Manager Programme at CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing)

Mark Robert has been with Tate & Lyle for 14 years. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing Research & Development, Applications, and Technical Services related to the Dairy category in North America for Tate & Lyle. This includes development of strategic platform of Tate & Lyle products for the Dairy Industry, and overseeing Technical Service to NOAM Dairy customers. Mark previously held positions of Director of Technical Sales, New Product Development Manager at Tate and Lyle. Prior to joining Tate & Lyle, Mark was Director if R&D and Quality at Elgin Dairy Foods. He began his career at Elgin Dairy Foods, and worked there for 19 years, holding a variety of positions in R&D and Quality Control. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Illinois, and a Masters of Science from University of Illinois as well.

John Allan helps lead all dairy food safety efforts for IDFA and has responsibilities in federal, state and international regulatory, technical and scientific affairs. He engages on behalf of IDFA members with 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc., and the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS). Allan also helps represent IDFA’s international interests through engagement with the International Dairy Federation and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.  

Prior to joining IDFA, Allan worked for the American Frozen Food Institute and National Yogurt Association; the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization within the Codex Alimentarius Commission Secretariat; and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  He graduated from the Univ. of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology and a Master of Science in food science and technology. See LinkedIn profile.

Mike Aquino joined IDFA as Director, ESG in January 2023. Mike was trained as a food scientist at Drexel University and has since held several professional positions in the food and agriculture space, including with Danone’s research and development pilot facility in White Plains, N.Y., and on the Global Sustainability Team at General Mills addressing corporate citizenship issues such as Scope 3 emissions reduction planning and animal welfare. At IDFA, Aquino helps to manage the trade association’s work in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and ESG policy and programming within the U.S. dairy supply chain. He is part of the IDFA Regulatory Affairs team and works cross-functionally with colleagues on the legislative, public affairs, communications, and membership teams, and in close collaboration with IDFA members. IDFA members are working each day to make progress on environmental, social, and governance issues facing their communities, people, and products. The IDFA Sustainability Initiative, which Mike helps to lead, positions IDFA members to play a vital role in sustainable, equitable and secure food systems by nourishing people, communities, and the planet.

Mike earned a master’s degree in sustainability management from Columbia University and, presently, is working toward an advanced degree in public affairs at American University, where his doctoral research focuses on analysis of environmental policy and the development of the ESG space.

In his free time, Mike enjoys learning about specialty cheeses and artistic printmaking techniques.

Michelle provides technical and regulatory leadership to advance IDFA’s nutrition and health advocacy, ensuring dairy’s role in federal nutrition programs and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). In addition, she delivers training on dairy standards and labeling, and provides guidance to IDFA members related to product labeling.

She has worked closely with IDFA over the years, serving on staff between 2002-2010, and then as founder and principal of AM Food & Nutrition consulting, where she worked closely with IDFA providing regulatory support on federal rulemaking and nutrition programs, led IDFA labeling training, and advised IDFA members on labeling requirements. Prior to 2002, Michelle worked at the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) in Washington, D.C. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Nutrition at Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y., and her Master of Public Health degree in Nutrition from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society for Nutrition and is a past board member of the DC Chapters of both the Institute of Food Technologists and the Society for Nutrition Education.

Danielle Quist leads IDFA’s work on environment, sustainability, packaging, worker safety, financial regulation, and environmental compliance, where she advocates industry positions and monitors regulatory issues impacting dairy processors. She has more than 20 years of legal experience and serves as IDFA’s legal counsel.

Before coming to IDFA, Quist worked as senior counsel for public policy at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), where she co-led AFBF’s legal advocacy program, advised lobbyists on policy matters, and lobbied federal agencies on behalf of farmers and ranchers for almost 14 years. Before that, Quist worked on Capitol Hill as a counsel on the House Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs for former Congressman Doug Ose (CA). Previously, she was an associate at Howrey Simon Arnold & White, LLP, and served as a law clerk to Judge Eugene Sullivan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Quist earned her Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School and her Bachelor of the Arts in Political Science from Columbia College of Columbia University in New York City. She is a member of the D.C. and New York Bars. Originally from southern California and New Mexico, she speaks Spanish.

Joseph Scimeca, PhD, led IDFA’s Regulatory and Scientific Affairs team. Scimeca has extensive technical regulatory and scientific expertise that includes over 33 years of industry experience. In his position with IDFA, he provided strategic regulatory and scientific leadership for the dairy food and beverage industry covering a broad range of areas including product safety, quality, and labeling; nutrition and health policy; product identity standards; food defense; sustainability initiatives; Codex and other international standards; technical trade barriers; and emerging science and technologies affecting the dairy sector.

He came to IDFA from Cargill Inc. where he worked for 16 years, serving most recently as Vice President of Global Regulatory & Scientific Affairs. For Cargill, Scimeca provided leadership for ensuring food, feed, and other consumer products were safe, protected against intentional acts of economic adulteration and bioterrorism, and in conformance with relevant food/feed regulations, standards, and internal policies. He managed a team of 30 regulatory professionals based in locations around the world that collaborated with their business partners in facilitating compliance against existing and emerging regulations. Previously, he held similar regulatory affairs roles with General Mills, Pillsbury, and Kraft.

Scimeca has a proven track record working with the FDA and USDA to lead the broad food industry in regulatory reform, with notable efforts in shaping and influencing FDA FSMA regulations, and with several foreign governments in their efforts to modernize food regulations, including China, Canada, India, EU, and Indonesia. Scimeca is skilled at building and leading private-public partnerships to advance food safety initiatives leading to improved public health.

He has and continues to chair or serve on numerous and varied technical committees for scientific, academic, and trade organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, IUFoST, IFT, ILSI, and JIFSAN, among others. He has authored nearly 40 peer-reviewed scientific papers, monographs, and book chapters.

In his leisure time, he enjoys traveling with his wife and adult children, and finding time to run, backpack, and rock-climb. See LinkedIn Profile.