PROVO — Five BYU students are studying hard for a chance to win a national food science competition.
Amy Pitts and four other Brigham Young University students won the Institute of Food Technologists regional competition in March by correctly answering dozens of food science trivia questions. The team heads to Chicago in July for the College Bowl competition to try to take home the national championship.
“It’s a big deal for the food science community to win this competition. This shows that you are very dedicated to the discipline. It’s something you can put on your resume as a compliment,” she said. “My teachers who won it when they were in college still talk about it.”
The Institute of Food Technologists Student Association hosts a college competition every year that allows students to get involved in the food science industry, network with professionals and other students and gain experience with marketable skills, Pitts said. Competing students also participate in the Institute of Food Technologies’ annual food science and innovation exhibition.
Pitts is a food science major and captain of this year’s varsity team. She said competition participants are given categories in advance on what the questions are about, and teams of students need to enter first for a chance to answer correctly.
In addition to the trendy questions, there are also bonus questions with longer, free-response answers.
Questions ranged from allergens and vitamins to nutrition label requirements, artificial food coloring and ingredients in a Big Mac. While some questions are easy for students, Pitts said some are difficult, including one that his team got wrong about the name of the formula which describes the internal shape of a bubble.
“It really depends on what the questions are… we have no idea what the questions are going to be. They could be things we’re prepared for and they could be things we’re not prepared for. It’s hard to know everything,” she said.
BYU’s varsity team placed fourth last year and was defeated by some graduate students who had done their undergraduate work at BYU, Pitts said.
BYU is also tied for the most wins in the competition, but Pitts’ team hopes to tip the scales in their favor this summer.
“We compete consistently in national competitions. It’s really hard to win because every team puts so much effort into it…we’re up against really, really capable people,” Pitts said.
The school receives a cash prize if the team wins, and the money goes back into the school’s funds to help new students compete. Winners will also be banned for life, so individual students cannot win multiple times in a row.
Pitts said she has always loved food because it is a “universal thing” that brings people together, and she is excited for the team to showcase their hard work in Chicago.
“I think we have a good chance. We have a great team this year, everyone has worked hard and we know what we are doing,” she said. “We just focus on knowing as much as we can about the specific topics we study. We hope to win!”
