News and Events

Note from the Department Head

As summer comes to a rapid end, I would like to extend my welcome and enthusiasm for the 2023-24 academic year on behalf of the Department of Food Science and Technology. I hope you all had a good summer and wish the new academic year is a success. Three new faculty members have joined us in the past year on the Athens and Griffin Campuses: Dr. Joseph Usack , Assistant Professor of Sustainable Food Systems Engineering, and Dr. Christopher Kucha, Assistant Professor of Integrative Precision Food Processing, in Athens, and Dr. Hualu Zhou, Assistant Professor of Food Chemistry, in Griffin. In addition to our excellent new faculty, please join me in welcoming Joseph Harrison into his new role in our Extension Food Science and Technology office as a Program Coordinator. I invite you to sopy by their office to say hello and welcome them to FST, CAES, and UGA. 

Our department is also pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Koushik Adhikai as the new Research, Extension and Instruction Coordinator on the Griffin campus and Dr. Abhinav Mishra as the new Graduate Student Coordinator based on the Athens Campus. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Yen-Con Hung and Dr. Rakesh Singh for their leadership and service over the past years in these respective roles. 

I am excited to report that our undergraduate program under the leadership of Dr. Faith Critzer is continuing to show tremendous growth. Our undergraduate students numbers have doubled in size over the last two years, and we are confident that our future recruitment efforts will continue to be a success. Our resident graduate (MS and PhD), online MFT, and undergraduate programs are as strong as ever, with our students winning awards and scholarships at conferences and competitions all across the country and the globe. Our department was honored to award travel and support scholarships to encourage professional development for our graduate students. To all of the students that graduated over this year, we congratulate you and your achievements. We are proud of our student award winners and their accomplishments.

This year, our department hosted an Alumni Social at the annual Institute of Food Technologists conference for the first time. We would like to thank all the attendants of the event for coming, and we look forward to hosting the event again next year and in the years to come.

As we begin this school year, I would encourage you all to stay connected with UGA Food Science and Technology. We are very appreciative of all the support that we receive from you all and everyone for the commitment to our department.

Go Dawgs! #FoodDawgs 

 


Dr. Manpreet Singh, Department Head
Dr. Manpreet Singh, Department Head

Food Science and Technology Department News

Abhinav Mishra and colleagues in UGA's Department of Food Science and Technology will use risk assessment models to identify which environmental and farm practice factors contribute to the food safety risk of fresh, organic food. CAES News
UGA food scientists build toolbox for organic growers to address food safety concerns
University of Georgia researchers in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are part of a $3.5 million grant designed to assist organic producers in meeting both National Organic Program standards and food safety requirements. UGA food scientists will survey farms in the Southeast to determine the risk of contamination in organic crops by different environmental pathogens.
FoodPICdirectorJimGratzek CAES News
UGA FoodPIC empowers food startups for successful launch and growth
Jim Gratzek, director of the University of Georgia’s Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center, earned his doctorate in food process engineering from UGA’s Department of Food Science and Technology. He returned to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 2022 after nearly 30 years in the commercial food industry, bringing a new perspective. In his experience, the biggest hurdle for new food entrepreneurs who don’t yet have sufficient working capital or manufacturing facilities is moving a product from concept to consumer.
cold brew coffee CAES News
Can cold brew coffee make you sick?
Cold brew coffee’s smooth taste, rich flavor and low acidity have made this trendy drink a global favorite no matter the weather. New research from the University of Georgia funded by the UGA Center for Food Safety looks into the possibility of cold brew coffee to pose a food safety hazard when it is contaminated with foodborne pathogens.