Give Back
Our Foundation Focus Program is designed to enable the center to accomplish its mission with increased financial support from private donors. With these funds, FAPC is able to focus on delivering even greater economic impact to Oklahoma as it continues to serve the state’s value-added agricultural industry.
Food Safety Campaign
Curriculum
The curriculum not only includes core educational requirements but also agribusiness law, technical writing and other courses that make for a well-rounded student prepared for a food safety position in the industry. Additional classes also have been developed to teach students about advanced food microbiology, advanced Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Global Food Safety Initiatives (GFSI).
Student Development
Students in this program not only earn a food safety option with a food science degree but also earn certifications in HACCP and GFSI programs such as Safe Quality Foods (SQF) and British Retail Consortium (BRC). Students in this degree option also are training to perform internal audits necessary in the food industry.
Internships
Real-world experience is paramount in preparing students for a career in food safety. OSU’s Ferguson College of Agriculture provides career fair venues and other services that appropriately place students with industry to maximize benefits for both the student and the sponsoring company. Intern to employment conversion rates about 80-85%.
Career Opportunities
With the introduction of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and customer requirements for food safety programs like GFSI, food companies’ demand for competent food safety specialists is high. Graduates in this degree option earn those same certifications and are “industry ready” upon graduation.
Partnership
This first-of-its-kind degree program is possible because of the leadership and vision shared by the Ferguson College of Agriculture and FAPC’s Industry Advisory Committee. Thanks to the generosity of this advisory board, more than $1.1 million has been raised toward the $3.4 million goal. FAPC welcomes you or your company to contact us if you are interested in becoming an invested partner.
Global Food Safety System
Impact
Globalization of the food industry has significantly affected almost every Oklahoma food processor directly and indirectly. The federal and state regulatory agencies have mandated standardized food safety and security regulations and policies that cut across all food processing sectors. Additionally, many retail and food service operations require their suppliers to have a GFSS program in place.
Our Program
The FAPC-GFSS program focuses on direct 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 GFSS Specialist stands ready to assist food processors as they undergo rigorous third-party auditing for standardized food safety, security and defense programs. These include programs such as HACCP, BRC, SQF, ISO, GMP and FSSC 22000 systems.
Product Innovation Fund
Products and Process Development
This innovation area focuses on the support of value-added product and process development for Oklahoma food industry products and agricultural commodities. Funds are used for creative research, idea development, product and process development, commercialization, potential evaluation, compliance evaluation, consumer acceptance evaluation, market strategy, and risk assessment for entrepreneurial clients and businesses. FAPC serves as a source of information and assistance to entrepreneurs and processors.
Industry Employee Training
This area supports the food industry in Oklahoma through continuing education and training for food industry personnel. The Fund enables education and training about personal health and cleanliness, in-plant employee hygiene, principles of food safety, manufacturing logic and business integrity for employees, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points regulations, food manufacturing biosecurity, and food bioterrorism. FAPC also offers customized workshops and seminars to help entrepreneurs and processors in the pursuit of customer satisfaction.
Food Safety and Security
The safety of the world's food supply is of paramount importance. The food safety and security portion of the Fund allows FAPC to investigate new and novel ways to optimize facility cleaning and food safety during manufacturing and processing. FAPC is involved in evaluating, planning and engineering security components for processes and facilities. FAPC also is responsible for helping food industry entrepreneurs and processors develop ways to carry out, measure and validate critical controls points and lethality steps for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.
Industry Waste and Biofuels Program
The industry waste and biofuels project area pursues ways to capture the value of food industry processing waste or low-value byproducts by converting them to optimal forms of energy. FAPC plays an important role in alternative fuel research. Additionally, FAPC scientists are involved in biofueld research to include biodiesel and ethanol production - a growing area of interest to Oklahoma's economy. FAPC facilitates biodiesel workshops on an annual basis and is home to a state of the art biodisel research laboratory.
FAPC Central Fund
FAPC offers businesses of all size, producers and entrepreneurs access to faculty and staff with expertise in business and technical disciplines. FAPC helps Oklahoma's value-added agricultural industry discover, develop and deliver technical and business information that stimulates and supports the growth of value-added food and agricultural products processing in the state. The Fund supplements the general business and marketing of FAPC, including administrative and office expenses, travel, publication of materials, publicity, consultant retainers, and honorariums for visiting scientists.