Code of Professional Conduct
Ethical Practices and Professional Conduct
The characteristics of a true professional are competence and integrity.
No professional body can underwrite the competence of a member, particularly
as time passes. However IFST takes great care to assess competence prior
to election or upgrading (see requirements for election or upgrading to
professional grades); and the Code of Professional Conduct requires members
to take steps to maintain and develop their knowledge and skills. Integrity
is the prime purpose of that Code, to which all candidates for admission
are required to undertake to adhere.
The Code is binding on all members of the Institute and shall be subscribed to by all applicants as a condition of membership.
The Institute requires each member:-
1. to promote the aims of the Institute;
2. so to conduct himself or herself as to reflect credit upon the profession;
3. to use all proper means to maintain the standards of the profession and to extend its usefulness and sphere of influence;
4. to respect any confidence gained in his or her professional capacity;
5. when making statements or recommendations in a professional capacity to do so objectively and fairly;
6. to take legitimate steps through proper channels to ensure (or assist in ensuring) the wholesomeness of any food with which he or she is concerned;
7. to avoid unwarranted statements that reflect upon the character or integrity of other members of the profession;
8. to recognize his or her responsibility for the professional guidance of subordinates under his or her immediate control;
9. to recognize his or her responsibility towards the environment;
10. to recognize his or her responsibility towards students;
11. to recognize his or her responsibility to maintain and enhance professional competence by continuing updating and improving his or her knowledge and proficiency in its application;
12. to support fellow members who may find themselves in difficulties on account of their adherence to this Code and the Institute in its efforts to protect them.
The Professional Conduct Guidelines
Thus, the Code itself is restricted to twelve briefly-stated ethical principles. The accompanying Professional Conduct Guidelines provide definitions, amplification, detailed interpretation and the application of principles to foreseeable situations. The titles of the individual Guidelines are:-
-Guideline No. 1 Wholesomeness of Food
-Guideline No. 2 Relations with the Media
-Guideline No. 3 Confidentiality of Information
-Guideline No. 4 Conflicts Involving Professional Ethics
-Guideline No. 5 Duties Towards Subordinates
-Guideline No. 6 Scientific Issues and Food Promotion
-Guideline No. 7 Responsibilities Towards Students
-Guideline No. 8 Responsibilities Towards the Environment
-Appendix: Matters of Personal Conscience
The code, consisting of simply stated principles, is amplified and interpreted in a set of Professional Conduct Guidelines
