Volume 4, Issue 6 :: May – June 2000
FoodPAC Selects New Leadership At the April 11 Steering Committee meeting, Bob Budd of The Halifax Group Inc. and David Lee of D.L. Lee & Sons Inc. were elected as FoodPAC’s new chairman and vice chairman, respectively. Bob Budd is president and owner of The Halifax Group Inc. (Oak Hill Farms), an Atlanta-based specialty foods manufacturer, and one of the country’s largest users of Vidalia onions. In addition to his FoodPAC responsibilities, Bob is a member of the Georgia Agri-Business Leaders Forum, the Vidalia Onion Committee, the National Association for the Specialty Foods Trade (Scholarship Committee and Show Policy Committee), and a two-term board member of the Georgia Specialty Food Association. David Lee is president of D.L. Lee & Sons Inc., a family-owned further processor of pork, ham, and bacon located in Alma, Ga. In addition to serving as FoodPAC’s vice chairman, David sits on the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Meat Association. Congratulations to both Bob and David. In addition to FoodPAC’s new leadership, other recent additions to the Steering Committee and Technical Committees follow. Welcome to all. Steering Committee Charles Hall, Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association Don Sims, Thomasville-Thomas Chamber of Commerce Environmental Technical Committee Dan Craig, Gold Kist Inc. Kevin Custer, American Proteins, Inc. Food Safety Technical Committee Shanna Lively, Dixon Tom-A-Toe Cos. Bryan Miller, ConAgra Poultry Charles Strong, Bogart, GA Hamsa Thota, Rich-SeaPak Corp. Pam York, Ken’s Foods Process & Product Competitiveness Technical Committee Bruce Kotz, Golden Peanut Co. Donnie Morris, Baxley Sunbelt Blueberry Corp. Ben Smith, Tom’s Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fruit/Vegetable Subcommittee Holds Strategy Meeting As part of FY 2001 funding allocations, FoodPAC received $200,000 to research further processing of fruits and vegetables in South Georgia. At the April 11 Steering Committee meeting, a special subcommittee was formed to provide oversight and initial strategic development for the project. Subcommittee members include Bob Budd (The Halifax Group Inc.), Gary Black (Georgia Agribusiness Council), Charles Hall (Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association), Doug Horn (The Halifax Group Inc.), David Lee (D.L. Lee & Sons Inc.), Jim Lovett (Georgia Power), Susan Shows (Georgia Tech), Kristina Stroede (Governor’s Office of Planning & Budget), Steven Woodruff (Gold Kist Inc.), and Craig Wyvill (Georgia Tech). The subcommittee and several invited guests, including university researchers, county agents, and fruit and vegetable processors, met May 9 for a 3-hour strategy session. During the meeting, the group held an intensive brainstorming session to generate focus area ideas. After much review, it was decided that Georgia Tech and UGA would assemble teams to coordinate and submit a proposal/plan to conduct a Survey/Inventory study. The proposal/plan will focus on conducting surveys of farmers and county agents and generating a regional inventory of processing, capacity, facilities, economic and technical feasibility trends, diseases, and environmental regulations. The Steering Committee will review the proposal/plan at a special June 29 meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Food Chain is a publication of the Food Processing Technology Division, Georgia Tech Research Institute.		Outgoing Chairman Receives Plaque Sammy Wright received a plaque commending him for outstanding service to FoodPAC during his tenure as chairman. Gary Black, FoodPAC executive coordinator, presented Sammy with the plaque at the Steering Committee’s Spring Meeting on April 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FoodPAC Announces FY 2001 Research Program The Steering Committee has approved 12 projects for funding during the FY 2001 Research Program. General allocated funds totaled $1,208,000 with bond funds totaling $500,000. (Note: After later review of the final funding recommendation package, it was determined that $45,000 in bond funds still remained uncommitted. This uncommitted amount will be addressed at the August 22, 2000, Steering Committee Meeting.) The 12 projects (grouped under their respective Technical Committees) and their respective funding amounts are as follows: Process & Product Competitiveness: $831,883 Automated Inspection of Poultry Deboning Processes, a continuation project with approved funding of $165,814 (general)/$50,000 (bond) Real-time System for Defect Detection, a continuation project with approved funding of $135,000 (general)/$15,000 (bond) Production of Natural Sweeteners by Fermentation, a new project with approved funding of $58,580 (general)/$30,000 (bond) Assessment of Flavonoids (Nutraceutical) Components of Selected Georgia Agricultural Food Products, a new project with approved funding of $85,000 (general)/$0 (bond) Automatic Screening for Systemic Defect Removal (Demonstration and Evaluation), a new project with approved funding of $110,000 (general)/$20,000 (bond) Process and Product Improvement. Increasing Nutrient Intakes and Enjoyment of Foods in Residents in Personal Care Homes, a new project with approved funding of $76,017 (general)/$0 (bond) Peanut Butter with Phytosterols: A Functional Food to Increase Peanut Usage and Cardiovascular Health, a new project with approved funding of $86,472 (general)/$0 (bond) Environmental: $554,317 Enhanced Ozone-Ultraviolet Reconditioning of Food Processing Wastewaters for Reuse: On-site Evaluation Program, a continuation project with approved funding of $104,823 (general)/ $20,000 (bond) Wet Scrubber Process Enhancements and Monitoring for Odor and VOC Control in the Food Processing Industry, a new project with approved funding of $159,039 (general)/$80,000 (bond) Aerobic and Anaerobic Bioconversion of Selected Food Processing By-products, a new project with approved funding of $70,455 (general)/$120,000 (bond) Food Safety: $233,565 Enhancing the Properties of Electrolyzed (EO) Water to Replace Chlorine for Water Disinfection Treatment, a new project with approved funding of $85,000 (general)/$14,000 (bond) Removal and Disinfection of Listeria monocytogenes-containing Biofilms in Cooked Product Areas of Meat Processing Plants, a new project with approved funding of $71,800 (general)/$62,765 (bond) In addition, $43,235 in bond funds were approved for equipment purchases for UGA’s Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement in Griffin, Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FoodPAC Dates to Remember Jun 30 FY 2000 research projects completed Jul 1 FY 2001 research projects begin Sep 29 FY 2000 final reports due . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Remember… Submit comments and story ideas to Angela Colar, Editor at (404) 894-3412 or angela.colar@gtri.gatech.edu

For further information on FoodPAC, please contact: Executive Coordinator: Mr. Gary Black - Georgia Agribusiness Council, (770) 242-3834 Environmental Coordinator: Dr. Dale Threadgill- University of Georgia, (706) 542-1653 Food Safety Coordinator: Dr. Michael Doyle - University of Georgia, (660) 228-7284 Product/Process Competitiveness Coordinator: Mr. Craig Wyvill - Georgia Tech, (404) 894-3412

Making Georgia the national and international leader in the food processing industry in the 21st century

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