Alvarez, Cañas, Simmons land Cochran Fellowship Programs to train 21 food scientists from Bangladesh, The Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras

Dec. 14, 2020
      Prof. Alvarez speaks with former Cochran Fellows

A two-week training program in August 2021 for 15 scientists from Bangladesh and The Philippines will focus on the scientific and technical aspects of food safety standards, systems, and best practices necessary for ensuring the protection of public health in the U.S. and export markets. Knowledge and connections gained by these Cochran Fellows will provide them with an opportunity to increase their country’s capacity for agricultural research, extension, and participation in international trade.

Fellows will be introduced to various leaders, scholars, and experts within OSU, representatives of federal and state governmental agencies in Washington, DC and Ohio, as well as quality assurance and food safety management personnel working in the food industry.  Columbus is widely regarded as an ideal test market for launching new food products, and the State of Ohio is an excellent training location as the state is a national leader in the production of manufactured food and beverage products including swiss cheese (national ranking: 1st), value added produce and specialty salads (2nd), dairy (6th), vegetable oil (6th), baked goods (7th), and animal foods (9th).

Earlier next summer, the same team will run another Cochran Fellowship Program, a $56,176 six-week project for six fellows:  two from El Salvador, one from Honduras, and three from Guatemala. The program will provide Fellows with an in-depth understanding of U.S. bakery and food ingredients and new innovations, trends, and techniques within the industry. This is to help the three Central American countries improve their technical understanding of the quality and uses of U.S. bakery and food ingredients and increase demand for these products in their countries. The goal of this program is to increase these countries’ capacity for agricultural research, extension, and participation in international trade.

Dr. Valente Alvarez is a Professor in the OSU Department of Food Science and Technology and a Dairy Processing Extension Specialist, as well as Director of the Wilbur A. Gould Food Industries Center.

Dr. Luis Cañas is the Interim Director of the Office of International Programs (IPA) in Agriculture with a comprehensive interest and experience in the development of Extension and Research Systems in developing countries.

Steven Simmons is a Program Specialist with the Wilbur A. Gould Food Industries Center in the Ohio State Department of Food Science and Technology.

The Wilbur A. Gould Food Industries Center is a unit of the CFAES Department of Food Science and Technology established in 1982. The center offers a wide variety of fee-based services to the food industry, entrepreneurs, and related institutions, both nationally and internationally.

International Programs in Agriculture (IPA), established in 1955, is the oldest international office on the Ohio State campus and focuses on promoting international engagement among faculty and students within CFAES.

for more information, please contact Jason Owens.1132