|
By Joel Crews and Keith Nunes
jcrews@sosland.com and knunes@sosland.com
Editor’s note: For the past three years the editorial staff of MEAT&POULTRY has ranked the nation’s leading universities serving the industry based on their undergraduate and graduate programs. Our goal was to recognize the universities delivering the top students to the industry and those most likely to produce the plant managers and C.E.O.s of the future. We ranked universities according to the quality of their faculty, research, extension and the number of students involved in the respective programs. In 2003, we even delved into species-specific rankings. In an effort to consider all the elements important to our broad readership, we are doing things differently this year.
The fourth annual Top 10 ranking is based on the quality and variety of workshops, conferences and short courses available at universities throughout the U.S. We feel programs dedicated to continually educating the industry’s executives and managers warrant our recognition.
The criteria we used to make our selections is based on a tiered system. Those universities offering short courses for the processing of meat and poultry products, like sausage or marinated meats, for example, garnered the highest scores. Programs devoted to industry-specific issues like food safety or sanitation earned slightly lower scores. Below industry-specific courses, we also scored schools based on courses that covered species-specific issues related to slaughtering or processing, and we considered schools that did custom programs for companies and associations, representing packers, processors and retailers.
We did not consider youth programs such as 4H or F.F.A., and we did not consider programs targeting the producers of beef, hogs, chickens, eggs or turkeys. While doing such a ranking has merit, it does not fit within the scope of this magazine.
There may be an urge among readers to compare this ranking to those we have done in the past, and that would be erroneous. The criteria we used for this year’s ranking is different than the criteria we have used in the past. Any comparison would be flawed and misleading.
Industry education efforts are not talked about very often. For the most part, programs sponsored by universities or trade associations are taken for granted. The same speakers show up at the same meetings talking about the same subjects. The focus, in some cases, is more on driving revenue than providing managers with information they can use to improve their skills and their operations. There are, however, several universities that are committed to providing excellent industry education programs. These leaders comprise this year’s Top 10 University ranking.
It was not an easy task settling on the top 10; there are dozens of universities that deserve mention. The universities we settled on, however, had several qualifications in common. Those at the top offer programs that extend beyond a concentration on general food science short courses or a species-specific bias and focus on what our readers are most interested in – How to add value to meat and poultry products and develop new ideas that will help them manage more profitable businesses.
The strength of their "value-added" programs is what garnered Iowa State Univ., Ames, and Texas A&M Univ., College Station, the Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the ranking respectively. In addition, their focus on operationally-specific programs like animal handling, and their ability to respond with programs focusing on timely issues like Listeria control and bovine spongiform encephalopathy education solidified our decisions.
The eight other universities that make up the rest of our ranking were not as strong when their programs were factored into our value-added equation. However, Kansas State Univ.’s recall, E. coli O157:H7 reassessment workshop and Dr. Daniel Fung’s rapid methods workshop garnered the Manhattan, Kan.-based university a spot near the top. In that same vein, Oklahoma State’s entrepreneurial "basic training" and marketing workshops stand out as unique in the realm of food industry education programs, as well as Auburn Univ.’s food security and food law programs.
As we studied and considered numerous universities for this ranking, one detail jumped out at us – The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture hazard analysis and critical control point plan mandate has transformed the role universities play in the education of meat and poultry industry professionals. Offering basic and advanced HACCP courses is the one commonality among all members of M&P’s fourth annual ranking of the top 10 universities. The ability of universities, both included and not included in this ranking, to respond and offer such critical programs at an affordable cost reveals the strong foundation that supports the success of the U.S. meat and poultry industry.
As with past rankings, there will no doubt be readers who disagree with our selections and the order in which they appear. All comments and criticisms are welcome. To be considered for next year’s ranking send your request for inclusion to meat&poultry@sosland.com.
1. Iowa State University
To say that Iowa State Univ.’s meat science faculty is proud of its menu of conferences, workshops and short courses is like saying I.S.U.’s football team has a "somewhat" loyal fan base. Anchored by its annual Sausage and Processed Meat short course, I.S.U.’s educational offerings, beyond those required as part of a degree plan, have a long history of serving the industry well. I.S.U. workshops include courses that address a variety of food safety topics as well as providing processing personnel with information on improving product quality using the latest technology.
Its nearly famous Sausage and Processed Meat Short Course, which has a 26-year history at the school and regularly draws as many as 80 participants per year at $1,250 per head, exemplifies what it means to serve the industry. For four-and-a-half days, industry managers are taught the finer points of formulating and processing sausages and processed meats.
Instructors considered industry authorities on the subject share their knowledge about the market segment that is pursued by nearly all processors. Hundreds of supervisors, production managers and marketers in the industry have participated in this program throughout the years and its reputation for delivering real-world processing solutions is hardly a well-kept secret.
Attendees of I.S.U.’s Pork 101 class are given hands-on demonstrations of how pork products are made, starting with a live animal and ending with a packaged product. The school’s Basic Sausage Short Course focuses on the technology of sausage production, including demonstrations and instruction about ingredient use, basic meat science, food safety, emulsion and casings, thermal processing and more.
I.S.U. programs also address food safety issues and regulatory compliance, with the availability of HACCP courses for domestic and international attendees and a recently added B.S.E. information course (held off campus). Food safety is a common theme in most of the I.S.U. workshops and courses, from the Cured Meats Short Course to the Meat Processing Seminar put on for the Iowa Meat Processors Association as well as the series of ConAgra-sponsored meat and poultry training sessions hosted throughout the year.
Perhaps nowhere is the commitment to keeping industry managers informed about food processing and food safety technologies more evident than at Iowa State Univ.
2. Texas A&M University
When it comes to offering a variety of programs for today’s processors, Texas A&M ranks among the best. Its Beef 101, Pork 101, Broiler Symposium and Poultry Processors workshops demonstrate the diversity of the university’s programs designed to educate all segments of the food processing chain.
For starters, A&M has perhaps some of the best-known and most complete HACCP training courses serving the industry. Well over 250 students will complete one of the HACCP courses in a given year. Curriculum covers introductory HACCP concepts as well as a Beyond Basics course, which gives attendees experience in the improvement of HACCP plans specific to meat and poultry processing plants. Texas A&M also regularly hosts HACCP training workshops at the requests of companies such as Smithfield Foods and Swift & Co.
Program officials obviously have their ears to the ground in terms of what products many processors are currently focusing their attention on and offer courses to keep managers and operators on top of processing trends. Several Customized Food and Flavor Sensory workshops are held each year with the goal of demonstrating to product development and Q.A. personnel how sensory evaluation can be used as a tool.
It’s no surprise that as value-added products have evolved as a profit center for many processors, continuing educational courses at A&M address the challenges and opportunities created by this segment of the industry. In A&M’s annual three-day course titled Value Added Meat and Poultry School, attendees learn about the latest applications in marination, batter breading, pre-cooking, packaging and how to use non-meat ingredients to improve profits and product quality.
3. University of Arkansas
Never mind the fact U of A is a close neighbor with Tyson Foods and is located in the heart of poultry country, the school offers a broad spectrum of courses designed for poultry and beef processors.
With its Center of Excellence for Poultry Science as a backdrop, the university’s programs focus not only on processing issues but on food safety as well. Drawing about 160 attendees per year, U of A’s course titled G.M.P.s, S.O.P.s and HACCP for the Meat and Poultry Industry is designed for food safety, Q.A. and production managers working in the industry. Food safety is also the thrust of Sanitation for the Meat and Poultry industries, which is held twice each year for managers responsible for managing their plant’s sanitation standard operating procedures.
The programs are also topical. Earlier this year, as the beef industry was still reeling from the discovery of B.S.E. in a single cow this past December, school officials put together a B.S.E. course to address the many issues and questions created by the discovery. Approximately 250 producers and small processors attended the one-day event, indicating an informational void was filled. B.S.E. is also a prominent topic in the university’s biannual Research Development in Food Safety course.
In terms of addressing issues specific to poultry processors, Arkansas’ Poultry 101 courses take aim at quality and consistency issues facing Q.A. and R&D managers as well as meat buyers and processing managers.
The Arkansas Poultry Processor’s Workshop, held annually, gives first line supervisors in plants a basic understanding of poultry operations. Students enrolling in the university’s Thermal Processing and Validation Workshop work in both the pilot plant and classroom as they are taught measurement methods of plant procedures and proper data collection in the process validation process.
4. Kansas State University
Programs available through K.S.U. are especially strong in terms of teaching regulatory compliance to beef and pork processors. Course topics tend to be beef processing based, but the university’s Pork 101 class crosses species lines by teaching attendees about the processing and food safety steps involved in pork product manufacturing.
Program developers deserve kudos for their awareness of up and coming issues and creating a course addressing one of the timelier issues facing beef producers and processors, which is animal identification and traceability. This past summer, K.S.U. animal science faculty held a course titled Beef I.D. Academy on eight occasions to enlighten producers and processors about the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s forthcoming national I.D. system and animal traceback requirements.
The department regularly hosts courses addressing compliance issues related to recalls, E. Coli reassessment procedures, validation of C.C.P.s, HACCP audits and microbiological testing methods.
K.S.U. also is growing its distance learning courses, which are designed to enhance the knowledge of those already working in the industry as well as students seeking alternatives to traditional degree programs in meat science.
5. University of Georgia
Ensconced in "chicken country," the Univ. of Georgia’s Food Science Extension Outreach Program offers industry executives a variety of short courses targeting processing, food safety and quality control. For the manufacturers of value-added meat and poultry products, the university offers two short courses on further processing and marination. In the "value-added" course, attendees learn about new product development and new processing techniques. The marination course covers the science behind marinade retention, marinated product shelf life extension, as well as procedures and systems for marination, packaging and quality assurance.
Led by Dr. Estes Reynolds, the Univ. of Georgia also offers several basic and advanced HACCP courses for managers interested in learning more about validation and verification processes. In addition, there is a 3-day workshop for those managers interested in learning more about using statistical process control in order to improve their food safety and quality control programs.
6. The Ohio State University
The cornerstone of The Ohio State Univ.’s industry education program is the Thermal Processing of Ready-To-Eat Meat Products Short Course led by Dr. Lynn Knipe. At a time when the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture is focusing on the safety of R.T.E. products, O.S.U. is offering industry managers an opportunity to learn more about the critical factors involved in thermal processing. The course is designed for anyone in the meat industry who is responsible for producing safe R.T.E. meat products. All technical and regulatory aspects of cooking, chilling and post-package handling of R.T.E. meat products are covered.
In addition to the R.T.E. program, O.S.U. also features an extensive lineup of basic and advanced HACCP short courses. The programs allow managers to ensure their plans are in compliance with the latest changes in federal regulations.
7. Oklahoma State University
With programs focusing primarily on pork and beef processing, O.S.U. scores points by offering courses centering on the business of processing. Newcomers to the business as well as veterans in the industry can learn from the business-intensive programs at O.S.U.
Few other processing-based departments offer courses like O.S.U.’s marketing workshop, financial management workshop and continuous business tools for beginners course. Targeting up-and-coming processors, the Entrepreneurial Basic Training course, held monthly, is used to stimulate and support the growth of value-added food and agricultural processing products in the market.
During the Oklahoma Beef Quality Summit, participants from farm to fork are shown the importance of each segment of the production process and how, from rancher to packer, each link is dependent on the others for success. The summit covers multiple topics including live cattle yield and quality grading, carcass evaluation and fabrication, food safety, value-added products and beef industry trends. O.S.U. also offers HACCP certification courses, a Food Safety Symposium and a Research Symposium each year.
8. Colorado State University
The strength of Colorado State’s industry education programs is its focus on beef and food safety. Within the scope of this ranking that focus is also a weakness. The majority of readers of M&P handle both red meat and poultry products. The university’s limited focus knocks them down a position or two, but it does not detract from the excellence of C.S.U.’s programs.
Working with some of the leading beef companies in the industry, C.S.U. offers an extensive roster of courses, whether it is working with groups like Certified Angus Beef, Ed Miniat, Inc., or Swift & Co. The university also offers a niche beef-marketing course that provides entrepreneurs with an idea of what it takes to compete in the ultra-competitive beef industry.
9. Texas Tech University
Food safety, improving meat processing methods and giving processors non-traditional means of learning more about their industry are all priorities of Texas University’s programs that target the industry.
Each year employees from companies like Cargill Meat Solutions and Sysco Foodservice trek to West Texas to learn more about the value of processing and food safety technologies. Beef producers are also regulars at the school’s Beef 706 course, where they learn the eventual impact of on-farm practices on beef product quality. Twice each year, T.T.U. hosts a course on recall training, where attendees are advised about how to best manage recall situations.
One of the more unique events put on by the university is its annual Beef Baccalaureate course, which is designed to give members of the media a glimpse inside the beef production process. Each year about 25 journalists take the course as T.T.U. does its part to de-mystify the beef industry.
Texas Tech is also earning a reputation for its global educational efforts. At least four times per year the U.S. Meat Export Federation brings a contingency of food industry workers to the school to learn more about American meat production and processing. Food industry professionals (including chefs, retailers and foodservice workers) from Mexico regularly attend a U.S.M.E.F.-sponsored conference designed to educate attendees about the U.S. meat industry. This past year, about 20 scientists from China were given a science-based education on B.S.E. and its impact on the world’s food supply. Programs such as these promote goodwill among trading partners whom the U.S. has come to rely.
10. Auburn University
While a significant portion of Auburn’s Dept. of Poultry Science is dedicated to issues in the production of eggs and laying hens, there is no shortage in programs benefiting poultry processors. A course on food plant sanitation is designed to educate food safety and Q.A. officials, while Poultry 101 and Poultry Processing School classes target production managers. Introductory and advanced level HACCP courses are regularly scheduled both on campus and online for food safety and production managers.
Executive HACCP courses can also be scheduled on an individual basis. Auburn’s quarterly HACCP roundtable is still another option for HACCP coordinators to learn about up-to-date regulatory issues in their plants.
One program that is bound to see continued growth is Auburn’s Online Food Law course. Currently about 70 people enroll in the course each year, but during an age when food companies are frequent targets of lawyers this may soon become a common offering at other universities.
| 
