Final reports for FoodPAC projects conducted during FY 2004
are due by 5 p.m. September 1.
This year FoodPAC implemented a new submission
policy for the reports. Final report guidelines were
recently e-mailed to principal investigators. All final reports must now
be electronically
(Microsoft Word files only) submitted by e-mail to foodpac@gtri.gatech.edu.
Paper copies and computer disks will not be accepted.
Also, one photo file (jpg, eps, tif, gif format) along
with a caption for inclusion in
the Annual Report must also be submitted. This photo
should depict an interesting aspect of the research
project.
FoodPAC’s Steering Committee will hold its annual Summer Meeting at the Alexander Hotel in Reidsville, Georgia, on August 26. During the meeting, committee members will discuss industry priorities and funding requests for the coming year; four project leaders of research projects completed during FY 2004 will also address the committee. State Senator Jack Hill of Reidsville is also expected to briefly meet with the committee. Senator Hill is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
August 26: FoodPAC’s Steering Committee Annual Summer
Meeting; Reidsville, Georgia
September 1: FY 2004 final project reports due
Did You Know?
The Vidalia onion story took root in 1931 in Toombs County, Ga., when a farmer
named Coleman discovered the onions he had planted weren’t hot, as
he had expected, but sweet!
He sold those onions for $3.50 per 50-pound
bag, a big price in those Great Depression days. Other
farmers followed suit,
and soon their farms were producing
the sweet, mild onions.
In the 1940s, because Vidalia was at the
juncture of some of south Georgia’s
most widely traveled highways, a farmers’ market there was a thriving
tourist business. Word began to spread about Vidalia onions.
Consumers then
gave the onions their famous name. “Vidalia onions” began
appearing on grocery store shelves.
Production grew at a slow but steady
pace, reaching 600 total acres by the mid-70s. Then a promotional push
began to distribute Vidalia onions
throughout
the nation. Onion festivals became an annual event in Vidalia and nearby
Glennville, and production grew 10-fold over the next decade.
In 1986, Georgia
passed legislation giving Vidalia onions legal status and
defining the 20-county production area. The Vidalia onion
was named Georgia’s
official state vegetable in 1990.
In 1989, Vidalia onion growers united
to form Federal Marketing Order No. 955. This USDA program
established the Vidalia Onion Committee, extended
the definition
of a Vidalia onion to the federal level, and provided a way for growers
to jointly fund research and promotion programs.
Beginning in 1990, technology
borrowed from the apple industry was adapted to begin
the controlled atmosphere (CA) storage of Vidalia onions.
Now,
125 million pounds of Vidalia onions can be put into
CA storage for up to seven months, extending Vidalia onion
sales into the fall holiday
season.
The 2001 farmgate value for Vidalia onions
was $82.5 million.
Source: Georgia Agricultural Resources.
FoodPAC’s Executive Committee is actively
seeking nominations for new members to serve on either
the program’s
Steering Committee or one of its three Technical Committees.
Each year FoodPAC partners the food industry with Georgia’s institutions
of higher education and state agencies to foster research, technology
development,
and technical assistance in the food processing sector.
On average more than $1 million is allocated
by the state annually to support approximately 15 projects
related to environmental,
food safety & health, and process & product competitiveness research
priorities in the food processing and allied industries.
FoodPAC’s
committees provide a wide range of coordination, dissemination,
and oversight functions to ensure the success of the program
each year.
Specifically, The Steering Committee:
-
oversees the project selection
process and makes the final recommendation for project funding
to the Governor
-
elects a private sector representative
to serve as chair
-
coordinates the establishment of
program priorities and the dissemination of program results
The Technical Committees:
(Environmental, Food Safety & Health, Process & Product
Competitiveness)
-
establish
specific industry priorities for their respective technical
areas
-
review submitted project proposals
for technical merit and response to identified need and
rank each in order
-
review progress and completion of
projects
The Steering Committee typically meets
twice a year, while the Technical Committees each meet once a year.
If you are interested in joining FoodPAC and serving on any
of the Committees or know of someone
who is, please contact any of the individuals listed
in the information box below.
Steering Committee
Chairman
David Lee, D.L. Lee & Sons Inc., (912) 632-4406
Vice Chairman
Lee Bonecutter, Excel Corporation, (770) 252-5017
Executive Coordinator
Gary Black, Georgia Agribusiness Council, (706) 336-6830
Environmental Technical Committee
Chairman
Reggie Prime, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., (770) 989-3144
University Coordinator
Dale Threadgill, The University of Georgia, (706) 542-1653
Food Safety Technical Committee
Chairman
Bob Lauxen, Keystone Foods, (256) 964-1086
University Coordinator
Michael Doyle, The University of Georgia, (770) 228-7284
Process & Product Competitiveness
Technical Committee
Chairman
John Leszczynski, Thinkage, (678) 574-3041
University Coordinator
Craig Wyvill, Georgia Tech, (404) 894-3412
FY 2004 FoodPAC Final Reports Due September 1
