By Mandy Gross, FAPC Communications Services Manager

(Stillwater, Okla. – April 11, 2016) April is Made in Oklahoma Month, and Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center is encouraging Oklahomans to celebrate by supporting local food companies.

“Made in Oklahoma Month is a great way to remind Oklahomans to support their local food products,” said Andrea Graves, FAPC business planning and marketing specialist. “When you buy local products, you are putting money back into the state—keeping the products, jobs and money in Oklahoma, which is the main priority of FAPC.”

FAPC, a part of OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, supports the food industry by offering businesses, producers and entrepreneurs access to expertise in business and technical disciplines in order to stimulate and support the growth of value-added food and agricultural products and processing Oklahoma.

FAPC has worked with University Dining Services for the past seven years to provide more locally made and grown food on campus and promote Made in Oklahoma companies.

The focus is to promote more Made in Oklahoma companies, offer their products into campus dining locations and catering services, and introduce the companies and products to OSU students, faculty and staff.

“FAPC works and is in contact with Made in Oklahoma companies on a daily basis and helps local companies enter the market,” Graves said. “It just seemed like a logical fit for FAPC and University Dining Services to work together. It is a great opportunity for both OSU and Made in Oklahoma companies.”

In addition, FAPC is partnering with University Dining Services and the Made in Oklahoma Coalition to support Made in Oklahoma Day at OSU on April 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Student Union North Porch Lower.

“It’s important to make students aware that Oklahoma really has a creative industry and rich heritage for entrepreneurship,” said Terry Baker, University Dining Services director.

Oklahoma companies representing the Made in Oklahoma Coalition will distribute complimentary samples of products, including meat, desserts, beverages and condiments. The companies include Ace in the Bowl Salsa, Andrews Honey Bees, Bar-S Foods, DeVine Water, Diane’s Signature Products, Head Country, KiZE Concepts, Kratos Foods, Mitchell’s Sausage Rolls, Ozarka Water, Prairie Wolf Spirits, Ralph’s Packing, Schwab’s Finest, Snider Farms, Southern OKIE, Suan’s Foods and Woody Candy.

Reni Nguyen, University Dining Services graduate research associate and one of the organizers of MIO Day at OSU, said this event is always well received by OSU students, faculty and staff.

“University Dining Services is currently working with more than 40 Oklahoma companies,” Nguyen said. “We will continue to introduce and offer various MIO products to students, so we can increase their awareness on local food products.”

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Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU has more than 36,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 25,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, Oklahoma State has graduated more than 260,000 students who have been serving Oklahoma and the world for 125 years.