EDUCATION NEWS

Goldstein named 11th Endresen Lecturer at U. of Mass.
The Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, named Richard A. Goldstein, President and Chief Executive Officer of Unilever United States, Inc., as its 11th Endresen Lecturer. Unilever is a $50 billion food, home, and personal care products company with operations in 88 countries around the globe.

Goldstein joined the company as a staff attorney. Since 1975, he has held a series of senior executive positions with Unilever, including Chairman and CEO of Unilever Canada Limited and Vice President for Strategic Planning, among others. Prior to joining Unilever, Goldstein practiced law in Boston, Mass., and Washington, D.C. He also served as Special Assistant to a U.S. Cabinet Member from 1970 to 1973. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts, a Bachelor of Law degree from Boston University School of Law, a Masters of Law degree from Harvard Law School, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Massachusetts in 1998.

From his vantage point of leading one of the largest food manufacturing businesses in the U.S., Goldstein lectured on the current and future status of functional foods as a key component in the future health and quality of life of the consumer. He described the necessity of industry working with university scientists in order to create new, better-tasting, and healthier products to benefit the consumer and add value to our farm commodities. He predicted that we are on the brink of a major breakthrough in understanding how food can impact health in different ways than formerly believed. University Food Science Departments will be the key to providing scientists to carry out the necessary basic and applied research. Unilever is an active member of the University of Massachusetts’ Department of Food Science Strategic Research Alliance, and Goldstein commented on how well this relationship fits the model necesssary for success in the future.

In conclusion, he noted that Unilever has identified four broad areas that they believe offer exceptional opportunities to make a positive difference in people’s lives: foods that improve cardiovascular health, foods that boost the body’s natural defense mechanism, foods that enhance women’s health, and foods that improve children’s nutrition. He also noted that food labels should represent the wishes of the consumer, as the consumer’s right to know is inviolate.

During an outstanding presentation and through a lengthy question and answer session, Goldstein emphasized ethics. Given a choice to cut corners or do the right thing, he said, there should be no question that doing the right thing is the only choice.

Canadians come to Texas A&M for aquaculture feed training
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture. More than 300 species of fish are cultured worldwide, and there are specific nutritional requirements for different species of fish. Some estimate that aquaculture feed production in the Year 2000 will reach 6.6 million metric tons and comprise 55–65% of the total operating cost of aquaculture operations.

The Food Protein R&D Center at Texas A&M University offers several different aquaculture training programs that can help companies solve problems or find better ways to feed their fish, and these programs can be custom made for a specific need. Based upon the Texas A&M aquaculture short course, the training program may be modified to include topics and exercises for which a specific company has need for more in-depth instruction.

One such company is Moore-Clark Company of Canada. In February, for the second year, Moore-Clark sent 24 employees (extruder operators, production supervisors, managers, process engineers, and quality assurance personnel) from Eastern and Western Canada, as well as support staff from Ireland and Norway, to Texas A&M’s Food Protein Research & Development Center. The four-day course, designed specifically for Moore-Clark, consisted of classroom lectures and hands-on training involving the actual production of slow-sinking and high-fat fish feeds using a pilot plant single-screw extruder. The company feels that this training is critical in developing the skill level of its production personnel in order to stay abreast of new developing technologies.

For more information on how these specialized training courses can help your company, contact Dr. Mian N. Riaz at the Food Protein R&D Center, Texas A&M University, at 979-845-2774; E-mail: [email protected].

Cornell Wine & Brewing Laboratory celebrates grand opening
Cornell University’s Vinification and Brewing Technology Laboratory at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., was opened March 31. The laboratory represents the latest university/industry partnership by Cornell and the Experiment Station.

The 2,000-sq-ft laboratory is specially designed for enology and brewing studies. Flooring, drainage, steam lines, and ventilation were added to the space, and an outside delivery and grape crushing area added. Mashing and lautering vessels, a boiling kettle, and fermenters are located at one end of the room and dedicated to brewing technology. The other end contains 100–500 liter wine fermentation tanks and an analytical laboratory and office. The central workspace will include de-stemmers, crushers, presses, filters, bottle fillers, and heating and cooling equipment.

The laboratory will be the premiere site in the eastern U.S. for collaborative research and development in winemaking. Richard Durst, Chairman of the Department of Food Science and Technology at Geneva, will oversee the new laboratory. Thomas Henick-Kling, Associate Professor of Enology, will direct the enology program, while Karl Siebert, Professor of Biochemistry, will direct the brewing program.

School-Link Network launches MyLunch@School ™
MyLunch@School is the first food service program to allow students to order school meals from home using either a toll-free phone number or a secure Internet web site linked to www.myschool-link.com.

Using MyLunch@School, students can customize and order lunch for the next school day, then pick up their custom lunch in the school cafeteria the next day by showing their MyCard@School™ student photo ID card. The service maintains the privacy of students in food entitlement programs as required by federal regulation.

Meals ordered can include customized sandwiches, side dishes, beverages, and desserts. Parents and students can view the nutritional value of student choices, which are calculated on line, and parents can use the same program to evaluate home meal planning.

Additional information about MyCard@School, MyLunch@School, and School-Link Network, Inc. is available at 310-917-1916; 800-969-6304; or online at www.myschool-link.com.