Sustainability Initiative
Mission
Provide a scientific basis of cost (energy and waste) vs. benefit (food safety and quality) in food processing as part of sustainable realignment in agriculture.
Organization
- Multidisciplinary group of faculty and staff.
- Emphasis on by-product utilization, water conservation, energy utilization, waste management, agricultural systems engineering, food engineering, food safety, and food quality.
Activities
- Sustainability in food processing emphasizing water, energy, waste, and byproduct utilization.
- Drying technologies and efficiency.
- Refrigeration and freezing technology.
- Clearing house of best practices through UW Extension.
- Limited packaging and extrusion technology.
- Life Cycle Analysis, carbon foot printing.
Services
- Consortia potential for shared benefit.
- Training of scientists and business leaders.
- Responsive to emerging issues and opportunities.
- Address technical issues related to risk assessment of sustainability induced food systems change.
- Provide 3rd party critical review and assessment of sustainability efforts.
- Expertise in food safety and quality with product development and packaging interaction.
- Resource for local food suppliers.
- Access to institutional research facilities.
Opportunities
- Short courses through UW Extension
- Founding members.
- Center members.
- Industry Advisory Board.
- Center R&D program.
- Consortia.
- Contract research.
- Symposia.
- Annual meeting and activity reports.
- Member-Center Working groups
Contacts
- Dean, CALS.
- Department of Food Science Chair
