I have decided that it is time for me to step down as Editor of the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. This March 1998 issue will be the last issue of the journal for which I am the editor.
The journal is now into its 11th year of publication. The concept for this journal grew out of discussions at the INFOODS meeting in early 1983 at the Rockefeller Foundation Conference Center in Bellagio, Italy. Some of the original goals were to provide a focal point for the scientific studies of the chemical composition of foods and to provide a refereed dissemination of food composition data. I believe that the journal has been successful in addressing those goals and is now recognized world wide as a premier source of scientific information on the composition of foods and the methods used to attain that composition information.
Many people have worked to transform that initial concept into a world-class journal. I want to thank all those who have helped the editorial office in this transformation. Particular thanks are due the Board of Editors, the authors, the reviewers, and the publishers for their extensive efforts and expertise in the continuing work of putting out a scientific journal. The sponsorship by the United Nations University, INFOODS, and Academic Press, crucial in the development and continuation of the journal, is gratefully acknowledged.
Effective January 1, 1998, Dr. Barbara Burlingame became editor of the journal. Barbara brings to the journal a wealth of experience in the arena of food composition and is particularly knowledgeable in the area of international activities. I hope you will give her your full support.