ITHACA, NY — From printed phyllo pastries to petite peppers packing powerful nutritional punches, innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration will be key ingredients forming the future of food.

Academic experts and industry insiders will gather at Cornell University on December 8, 2014, for a global summit to discuss new approaches to emerging food system challenges.

They will serve up fresh findings and engaging exchanges on a range of topics, from the business of food, to its nutrition, safety, and consumption around the world. Also on the menu: hands-on technology demonstrations, resource exhibits, networking opportunities, and presentations from the next generation of food scientists and researchers.

The program is designed to appeal to people from fields across the food sector, from farmers to foodies, researchers to retailers, entrepreneurs to engineers, producers to policymakers.

• Those interested in innovation will learn about the future of 3D printing and other gadgets in Cornell’s Creative Machine Lab from director Hod Lipson. PepsiCo’s senior vice president of long-term research, Greg Yep, will also be on hand to discuss developments in his industry.
• Diet and disease will be the focus of a panel about nutrition, with presentations from food scientist Rui Hai Liu, Beech-Nut CEO Jeff Boutelle, and breeders tackling the “hidden hunger” of micronutrient deficiency by creating fruits and vegetables with extra vitamins and minerals.
• Communications experts and celebrated Edible Geography blogger Nicola Twilley will discuss the public’s appetite for food news.
• Foodborne pathogen expert Martin Wiedmann will join Elizabeth Bihn, director of the Produce Safety Alliance and coordinator of the National Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS) program, to discuss advances in food safety, including the use of big data to develop new strategies.
• Budding businessmen and established entrepreneurs alike will benefit from a business session with Wegmans vice president Bill Strassburg and David Hochman, founding executive director of the Business Incubator Association of New York State.
• Economist Prabhu Pingali, director of the Tata-Cornell Agriculture and Nutrition Initiative, will be among a group of international researchers who will go global to discuss strategies to feed the world’s growing population.

Famed food psychologist Brian Wansink, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, will demonstrate some of his “Slim by Design” strategies during an interactive dinner presentation.

According to event organizer Julie Stafford, of the Cornell Institute for Food Systems Industry Partnership Program, a special emphasis will be placed on the power of integrative approaches and the role that public-private partnerships can play in driving innovation and shaping sustainable solutions. Kim Wagner, senior partner and managing director of The Boston Consulting Group, will lead a discussion about the topic as a final session.

“Together, we can integrate what we have learned in the lab with what our industry partners have achieved in the field, to address issues that might not be resolved by either stakeholder alone,” Stafford said.

For more information and registration, visit http://bit.ly/CIFSSUMMIT.

Contact:

Melissa Osgood, Cornell Media Relations, mmo59@cornell.edu, 607-255-2059

Julie Stafford, CIFS-IPP, jls653@cornell.edu, 607-255-0860

The Cornell Institute for Food Systems (CIFS) is a network of over 60 faculty fellows from more than a dozen disciplines who share a passion for food and a commitment to enhance local and global food systems through scientific discovery, advanced technologies, and social strategies. Its Industry Partnership Program (CIFS-IPP) enhances engagement of Cornell University faculty, staff and students with industry scientists, engineers and business leaders. Participants are offered customized opportunities to engage in collaborative research, technical training and technology transfer through a diverse number of venues, including Cornell’s New York State Food Venture Center at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, which offers guidance to entrepreneurs in food processing, food safety and regulatory compliance. They can also tap into a pipeline of talent, through interactions with undergraduate and graduate students who are training to become the next generation of food leaders.  https://ipp.cifs.cornell.edu

By: Tristan Zuber, Dairy Foods Support Specialist, Harvest NY Program

Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has over 20 majors – ranging from Food Science, Animal Science, Biological Engineering to Applied Economics and Management.  Many of these studies offer some sort of extension work to support some aspect of the dairy industry.  In an effort to understand the different programs that Cornell University offers to the dairy industry, we thought we would share the purpose of the different programs Cornell runs and supports.  Throughout this article, the links are embedded to the program’s webpages if you are interested in more information.

Dairy Foods Extension:  The Dairy Foods Extension Team focuses on supporting dairy food manufacturers in NYS and beyond in producing safe and wholesome dairy products.  This involves running training and educational programs such as our Dairy Foods Certification program and providing consultation services to dairy food manufacturers in NYS and beyond. Dairy Foods Extension is run through the Cornell Department of Food Science and works very closely with professors of food science, NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets among other agencies, and suppliers to support the dairy foods industry.

Milk Quality Improvement Program (MQIP):  This program, harbored by Cornell’s Department of Food Science – is designed to assist NYS Dairy Plants to improve quality of the milk they produce by monitoring and making recommendations to improve finished dairy product quality.  The Voluntary Shelf Life Program is run through MQIP, which is sampling program designed to look at chemical, microbiological and sensory changes throughout shelf life at each participating plant twice per year.  Processing plants then receive a timely report of their results along with recommendations for making improvements.

PRO-DAIRY:  PRO-DAIRY is CALS’ flagship dairy production industry educational program focused on farm-level outcomes.  PRO-DAIRY is designed to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of NY’s dairy farmers and agribusinesses through applied research and educational programs to enhance farm profitability while advancing dairy professionals’ knowledge and skills.  PRO-DAIRY specialists provide leadership to major industry conferences and conduct educational programs in areas such as farm business management, dairy production management, nutrient and environmental management, facilities and renewable energy, and youth development. Some of the featured PRO-DAIRY educational programs include the Cornell Dairy Executive Program, Dairy Profit Monitor, and Junior Dairy LEADER.  PRO-DAIRY is run through the Cornell Department of Animal Science, but its specialists have linkages across departments.  The program is supported by the State of New York and the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, as well as many industry collaborators.

Cornell Food Processing Development Lab:  Commonly known as the FPDL, this is where much research is done on creating new products.  The FPDL is 10,000 square feet and can be utilized in research, food product development and scaled-up manufacturing.  Many companies come into the FPDL to work on launching new products.  It is also possible to scale-up production to produce products for food shows, exhibitions and customer demonstrations.  The FPDL is also utilized for hands-on training during Dairy Food Certification courses.

Cornell Dairy Plant:  The newly renovated Cornell Dairy Plant is a licensed NYS Dairy processing plant, which supports teaching, research and extension.  Milk is processed from the Cornell Dairy Herd and is manufactured to supply dairy products to the Cornell University campus.  When not manufacturing milk, ice cream or yogurt, the plant is dedicated for teaching, research and extension activities.  Products made at the Cornell Dairy Plant can be purchased at the Cornell Dairy Bar.

Quality Milk Production Services (QMPS):  QMPS is run through Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine.  Through field and laboratory diagnostic evaluations, the staff works more specifically with dairy farms on promoting the production of high quality milk through the control of mastitis and avoidance of antibiotic residues.  There is a total staff of 35, which make 2,600 farm visits for consultation services.  Staff includes veterinarians, which advise producers, veterinarians and milk inspectors on management of herd health to produce higher quality milk at the farm level.  QMPS is run through the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory within Cornell’s Vet School and is supported by the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets.

The National Program on Dairy Markets & Policy:  This program originated at Cornell but brings together economists from 7 universities in the Midwest and Northeast.  The focus of the program is dairy market economics and the public policies that regulate those markets.  A combination of applied research and educational activities aims to inform decision-makers in the industry, policymakers and consumers about the important economic issues related to milk and dairy product markets.  Dr. Andrew Novakovic in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management is the primary contact at Cornell .

Agribusiness Extension Programs in the Dyson School.  The Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management has several programs that are not specific to the dairy sector in their general design or purpose, but which frequently involve a dairy industry agenda.  These include the 1) Cooperative Enterprise Program, which works on organizational development programs for Northeastern cooperatives that provide inputs to farmers or market their products and 2) the Program on Agribusiness and Economic Development, which seeks to understand and enhance the business environment in NY for agricultural and food based firms.

Farm Management Extension Programs of the Dyson School.  These include 1) the Dairy Farm Business Summary and Analysis Program, which uses annual summaries of dairy farm business to enable farmers to better understand their business performance, consider alternative business strategies and benchmark against other cooperative farms, 2) NY FarmLink provides educational resources, consulting, and opportunities that enable more farms to be transferred and joint ventures to be developed for the economic enhancement of New York State agriculture, and 3) NY FarmNet provides farm families with free, confidential consulting services to develop skills to improve financial and production efficiency, and overcome business and family challenges

The roads are poorly paved, no sidewalks, road signs or traffic lights.

Their property was adjacent to the tea plantations.

By, Kim Bukowski, Extension Support Specialist

SQF announced on Jan.6 2014 that they would become the first internationally accredited third-party assessment program to require unannounced audits.

The unannounced audit protocol will be implemented in July 2014 in the new edition 7.2, and will require that one out of every three SQF audits will be unannounced.

This new twist in the SQF audit process will encourage suppliers to be “audit ready” at anytime. Some of the challenges will be; having Plant Management including corporate staff available at an unannounced time. Scheduling vacations and shift coverage at the last minute and the costs involved in this. The proposed unannounced audit will take place within a 60-day window, 30 days prior or 30 days after the anniversary date. Each supplier will have only one unannounced audit in a 3-year cycle.

Some of the other proposed changes for version 7.2 include;

Exemptions for product lines or products will only be allowed when written justification is provided.

Surveillance audits will be a scored audit however; the recertification audit date will remain the same and the unannounced audit will be introduced.

Requirements for “Seasonal Production” will be addressed.

CB criteria will include a required traceability exercise during the audit.

Elements 2.4.1.3 and 2.6.3.1 iv, will be clarified that SQFI and the CB must be listed as an essential contact.  The new edition 7.2 will be released and fully implemented on July 3, 2014.

methods in small vats of no greater than 300 gallon capacity – any variety”).  Almost all dairy products made in the state are eligible to enter; all that needs to be done is fill out an entry form and send in the product by the deadlines.

The competition is currently coordinated by Charles “Chip” Lindberg of NYSDAM who is a frequent invited judge of national and international cheese competitions.  Chip coordinates a team of experienced judges including other current and former NYSDAM members, industry experts, professors from other NY State colleges with dairy programs, and Cornell Dairy Foods Extension faculty and staff, including Professor Emeritus Dave Bandler.  While most product classes are judged based on standardized criteria of flavor, texture and appearance some products such as certain artisanal cheeses do not have standardized criteria; these are still judged on flavor, texture and appearance with a perspective of the uniqueness of the cheese.  In each class, there are first and second place winners as well as awards of excellence for products that score high in the judging but do not place.  For fluid milk, products are not sent in for the judging, but plants in the Milk Quality Improvement Project’s (MQIP) Voluntary Shelf-life Program are automatically eligible based on the results of the VSL program (to be discussed in a future newsletter).  “The contest’s partnership between NYSDAM and Cornell has been an unqualified success in my book,”  says Chip Lindberg.

Specific information on the NY State Fairy Dairy Products Competition can be found at:

NY State Fair Competitions Homepage

How to Enter

Dairy Products Competition Rules & Classes

Dairy Products Competition Entry Form

Entry forms are currently available and must be returned by July 14, 2014.  The fee is $8.00 per entry and restrictions apply.  All judging will be done at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.  Products must be sent to Cornell the week before the judging, which will start on Monday, August 11, 2014 and be completed by August 13, 2014 with notification of winners soon thereafter.   The official awards ceremony will be held at the NY State Fair in Syracuse NY on Dairy Day, August 25, 2014.  Good Luck!!