Our Mission...
The Food Industry Center will develop leaders for tomorrow's food industry. Through research, educational programs, and industry collaboration, it is a leading source of knowledge on how food reaches consumers efficiently and contributes to safe and healthy lives.
How Safe is our Food Supply?
Expectations, Technology, and Regulation
2009 Spring Conference
On Wednesday, April 1st, The Food Industry Center hosted its 3rd Annual Spring Conference. Faculty presentations from Food Science and Nutrition, Environmental Health Sciences and Applied Economics were featured along with an industry panel discussion on food safety issues and recalls. Visit the Past Events page to see copies of the day's presentations.
Consumer confidence in food safety plunges in wake of peanut-butter contamination, University of Minnesota study finds
On February 23rd, The Food Industry Center released findings from its Continuous Food-Safety Tracking Initiative revealing the decrease in consumer confidence in the food supply due to the peanut butter recall.
Go Grocery Shopping with Co-Director Jean Kinsey
As part of the StarTribune's series Our Hungry Planet, Jean Kinsey went shopping with a video crew to discuss new trends and rising food prices in grocery stores. The segment is titled Our Hungry Planet - Grocery Shopping.
Fall 2008 Symposium
Future Food Scarcities?
Global Causes, Local Consequences
The Food Industry Center in collaboration with the Center for International Food and Agricultural Policy hosted the Fall 2008 Symposium event on Thursday, October 23rd at the McNamara Alumni Center on the Minnesota campus. The symposium featured a discussion on the causes and consequences of rising food prices and their impact on food supplies, food companies, consumption, health and public policy in the United State and around the globe. The day's agenda and presentations can be found on the TFIC Past Events page.
Interview with Co-Director Jean Kinsey
On August 13, 2008, CFANS Dean Allen Levine and Jean Kinsey sat down for an interview that covered a variety of topics including Jean Kinsey's career, the food industry, and consumer trends. An audio version of the interview and a transcript are located on the CFANS website.
Castleberry's Case Study
With funding from the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, The Food Industry Center has published a case study on the 2007 recall of canned food by Castleberry's. The case study examines the complexity of the food industry and the recall process.
Food Institute Student Learning Service
The Food Institute, with sponsorship from Kraft Foods and the National Grocers Association, has rolled out its Student Learning Service program. The program offers students access to the Today in Food newsletter, the weekly Food Institute Report with analysis of industry developments, and student access to the Food Institute's back-article archive for research, market info centers, and merger-and-acquisition database, plus more. Click on the icon to the right to access the service.
CONGRATULATIONS!
To Co-Director Ben Senauer on being recognized as a 2008 Fellow by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. Visit Professor Ben Senauer's biography page to learn more about hiscontributions to Applied Economics research.
Diagnostic Tool and Gap Analysis for
Food Firms' Defense Practices
Developed from our research on food defense practices, The Food Industry Center has created an online diagostic tool that allows food companies to create a gap analysis between their food defense practices and the best-in-class (industry leader) practices. The goal of this project is to assist food companies in measuring their practices, and adopting business and production practices that protect the food supply. To learn more about the diagnostic tool or find more information on the Center's food defense research, visit our food defense research page.
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