Food is changing rapidly. What we eat, how it’s processed, and what can be improved are all evolving at top speed. At the forefront of these change are colleges and universities, researching, innovating, and guiding students, and it’s certainly impacting the future of many food business aspects.
From new departments to breeding different fruits to large donations, schools are gearing up for the food industry’s future.
Here’s what’s been going on with some universities recently in the food industry space:
University of California-Davis
The University of California-Davis is suing the California Strawberry Commission to once and for all declare it the rightful owner of approximately 1,500 plants - aka “germplasm” - that make up strawberry breeding work across the country. When it comes to intellectual property in the food sphere, fights can get pretty ugly.
University of Florida
The University of Florida’s tomato breeding program is ready to share the fruits of its labor, so to speak - it’s developed three breeding lines to hopefully improve certain aspects of tomatoes. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cultivar Release Committee, along with the Florida Foundation Seed Producers Inc., approved the strands last month. The Packer reported the virus-resistant genes came from a wild tomato species.
Penn State University
It looks like people are getting into the Thanksgiving mood a bit early this year. An anonymous $1 million donation was made to Penn State’s food science department to honor Philip Keeney, a former professor and head of the department who retired in 1985. The money will go into an “excellence fund” under Keeney’s name to be used by the department head. The funds will go toward “food science research, extension programs and teaching,” according to Food Safety News.
Oklahoma State University
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State University is looking to beef up (pun intended) its food safety program. The program hopes to launch by reaching $3.4 million in donations. The school’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center gave over $1 million, according to Food Safety Magazine. The program hopes to add a food safety professor in the animal science department as well as a number other ideas to better guide the future leaders of the food safety industry.
Rutgers University
A team of students at Rutgers University won first place at the annual PACK Solutions Challenge, a packaging solution competition. The teams this year had to come up with a plan for the fake “Ray’s Premium Pet Food Company” and its all-beef jerky products. The competition was judged by a number of industry representatives, including Tony Vandenoever of PepsiCo.
“The contest gives students a chance to see what they’ll do with their education. It’s hands-on, real-world experience that is absolutely vital,” said Marc Ostertag, the president of the B&R Industrial Automation. This “real-world” experience could lead to continued packaging innovation.