IFST Fee Update 2024/25

The Institute of Food Science and Technology’s (IFST) priority is to make sure that we can continue to support the professional needs and interests of our members, but like everyone else, we are still dealing with the effects of rising prices across various sectors. We have refrained from increasing our fees for the past two years, opting instead to absorb the cost increase that was scheduled for 2023/2024. However, to continue delivering the high-quality resources, professional development opportunities, and networking events that our members expect, this increase is now unfortunately necessary. 

We would therefore like to inform our members that, starting in October 2024, the IFST will be adjusting our membership and registration renewal fees for the 2024/25 year, based on current inflation rates.  

To put this into perspective, the largest increase anyone will see on their membership is £9 over the 2024/25 year. We believe this remains excellent value, especially considering the extensive benefits IFST membership offers, including: 

1. Professional Recognition and Certification 
2. Access to Science and Technology Resources 
3. Networking Opportunities 
4. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) 
5. Advocacy and Influence 
6. Community and Support 
7. Student and Early Career Support 

Although we have had to adjust our fees, we have also updated the criteria for our Retired and Special Circumstances membership discounts to make them more straightforward and we have removed some unnecessary barriers from obtaining them. 

Membership fees 2024/5

	2024-25 fee	2023-24 fee	Increase
Fellow - renewal fee when paying by any payment method apart from direct debit	£160	£152	£8
Fellow - renewing by direct debit	£155	£146	£9
Member - renewal fee when paying by any payment method apart from direct debit	£150	£141	£9
Member - renewing by direct debit	£140	£135	£5
Associate - renewal fee when paying by any payment method apart from direct debit	£105	£101	£4
Associate - renewing by direct debit	£100	£95	£5
Student	£25	£23	£2
Early Career / Postgraduate	£25	£23	£2
Retired	£80	£75	£5
Special circumstances	£25	£23	£2

Registration Fees for 2024/25

	2024-25 fee	2023-24 fee	Increase
Register Prof Food Auditors & Mentors (RPFAM)	£80	£75	£5
Principal level - Register Food Safety Professionals (RFSP)	£80	£75	£5
Manager - Register Food Safety Professionals (RFSP)	£40	£39	£1
Practitioner - Register Food Safety Professionals (RFSP) - renewal	£40	£39	£1
Chartered Scientist (CSci)	£80	£75	£5
Registered Scientist (RSci)	£40	£39	£1
Registered Science Technician (RSciTech)	£25	£23	£2
Register of Professional Sensory Scientists	£80	£75	£5

 

We have also introduced slight increases to our application fees for upgrading memberships and joining our Registers, and details of these will be available on the Membership and Professional Recognition sections of the IFST website when they come into place in October 2024. 

Updated Membership Discount Criteria 

Retired membership: We’ve removed the requirement for members needing to be over 67 years old to claim this discount and the criteria is now: 

This discounted rate is available to individuals who have retired and are no longer in paid employment or self-employment in the food system. If retired members re-enter paid employment, they should notify IFST of their change in circumstances as soon as possible. 

Special circumstances: This discount was originally only open to people who are unemployed or earning under minimum wage but we have now opened this up to include people who are on parental / carers’ leave. The criteria for this discount is now: 

If you're unable to pay your full membership fee due to special circumstances (e.g. you're on parental leave/carers’ leave, are unemployed or are being paid under the minimum wage), we can offer you a discounted fee on your main membership subscription. Please note, this will last for one year and you will need to notify the IFST main office (membership@ifst.org) if you would like to extend this. 

We are committed to advancing the food science and technology profession and appreciate your continued support. If you have any questions about this update, please contact our registration and accreditation team by clicking here.  

Thank you for being a valued member of IFST.