University of Georgia's Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center

May 02, 2018

University of Georgia's Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center

Recently, I toured the University of Georgia's Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center in Griffin, Georgia. It is a state-of-the-art 14,500-square-foot facility that assists companies in developing new food products efficiently and economically.

The $7.4 million center was made possible through a collaborative effort that included funding from the state of Georgia, U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Griffin-Spalding Development Authority and the University.

Data from the Georgia Department of Economic Development show that more 225 food processing companies opened or expanded operations in Georgia in the past decade, investing more than $2.6 billion in our state. Georgia’s thriving agricultural industry plays a critical role in the success of food processing here, as do the state’s strengths in logistics and infrastructure.

Kirk Kealey, whose career in food development includes launching products for General Mills, M&M Mars Inc. and PepsiCo Inc., became director of FoodPIC in 2015.

Past FoodPIC projects include improved drying technologies for Georgia’s rabbiteye blueberries, frozen desserts using Georgia fruits and a grain-based milk beverage now being produced in California.

FoodPIC is designed for short-term partnerships between food entrepreneurs and UGA scientists, not long-term food production and packaging.

"FoodPIC is where food entrepreneurs go with their ideas, and we turn them into reality—into physical prototypes that they can eat.” Kealy said. “If they decide they want to continue their journey, we can help them with process development, package development, shelf stable studies, thermal process validation and the nutrition facts panel."

The new Food Technology Center in Griffin, and the equipment now housed in it, gives the UGA faculty working there the ability to develop larger batches and more finished products. In the past, the scientists were constrained by the size of the existing small, pilot plant.