By Mandy Gross, FAPC Communications Services Manager

(Stillwater, Okla. – Oct. 16, 2014) Oklahoma’s food and agricultural leaders are keeping food safety a priority in food-processing facilities and supporting the education to prepare students to work in food safety and the food-processing industry.

The advisory board of Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center provided more than $1 million as a lead gift toward a $3.4 million fundraising goal to create an OSU food safety program, which includes a curriculum proposal for a food-safety option and a food-safety faculty position in the department of animal science.

“Once the food-safety option is approved and implemented, OSU will be among the first to offer an undergraduate food-safety option, according to our research,” said John Griffin, president and CEO of Griffin Foods in Muskogee, Okla., and spokesperson for FAPC’s advisory board.

With a growing demand for safe quality food products, the need for food industry companies to engage in food-safety programs is more important than ever.

With the support of the advisory board, FAPC implemented a Global Food Safety Initiative program to strive for continuous improvement of food-safety management systems that ensure safe food and consumer confidence.

The FAPC-GFSI program focuses on food-industry assistance in the areas of training, auditing, pre-third-party audit preparations, education, and in-plant technical assistance for food safety and quality programs.

The center’s quality management specialist, Jason Young, has filled the GFSI specialist role. One of the major ways Young assists food companies is by conducting internal audits, said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC manager of business and marketing relations.

“Globalization of the food industry has significantly affected almost every Oklahoma food processor directly and indirectly with mandated food-safety and security regulations and policies that cut across all food-processing sectors,” Willoughby said. “The FAPC-GFSI program provides services to meet the food-safety and security needs of Oklahoma’s food industry.”

Once a faculty member is hired, that person is expected to be instrumental in global food safety.

The Oklahoma Legislature established the Industry Advisory Committee to serve as an advisory board for FAPC.

“The Industry Advisory Committee offers counsel, makes recommendations and takes leadership action to ensure FAPC makes sound short- and long-term plans to accomplish its mission and objectives,” said Roy Escoubas, FAPC director. “I am extremely appreciative of the advisory board’s dedication and commitment to the food-safety campaign.”

Members of the committee are Oklahoma food industry leaders, appointed by the highest positions of the Oklahoma state government and the vice president and dean of OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

Members of the advisory board who are leading the food safety campaign effort are Griffin; Nancy Addington, Associated Wholesale Grocers of Oklahoma City; Luis Bogran, Curwood, a Bemis Co. of Pauls Valley, Okla.; Ed Clements, Clements Foods Co. of Oklahoma City; Gary Crane, Ralph’s Packing Co. of Perkins, Okla.; Scott Dvorak, Dvorak Farms of Perry, Okla.; David Howard, Unitherm Food Systems of Bristow, Okla.; Virgil Jurgensmeyer, J-M Farms of Miami, Okla.; Rodger Kerr, Southwest Technology Center of Altus, Okla.; Tommy Kramer, Durant Industrial Authority of Durant, Okla.; John Patrick Lopez, Lopez Foods of Oklahoma City; David McLaughlin, AdvancePierre Foods of Enid, Okla.; Allen Mills, Reasor’s Inc. of Tahlequah, Okla.; Paul Schatte, Head Country Food Inc. of Ponca City, Okla.; and John Williams, Chef’s Requested Foods of Oklahoma City.

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Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant system of interdisciplinary programs that prepares students for success. OSU is America’s Brightest Orange. Through leadership and service, OSU is preparing students for a bright future and building a brighter world for all. As Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach. OSU has more than 36,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 24,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 245,000 students to serve Oklahoma, the nation and the world.