Overview
Extension Food Processing at Washington State University provides assistance and support to the food and related industries in the Northwest to improve their competitiveness. The focus of the program is on safety and quality of the food supply from primary producers (growers) to the consumer, improving efficiencies within the operations, management of risks, and security of the products, facilities, and workers. We accomplish these services through effective dissemination of information (Training, seminars, workshops, and direct contacts); technology needs identification, development, and transfer; business assessments; regulatory liaison; problem solving; and applied research.

The Extension Food Processing group partners with numerous organizations and individuals from trade associations to government agencies to private entities to service the food and related industries. We take whatever steps are necessary to deliver the assistance to our clients.

Who are we
The Extension Food Processing program is led by Dr. Richard Dougherty, Extension Food Science Specialist in the School of Food Science. Dr. Dougherty joined Washington State University in 1990 after spending more than 15 years in the food processing and packaging industries. He conducts workshops and conferences on food safety, regulatory issues, low acid and acidified foods processing, HACCP, SQF, product development, and food business development. His experience has included management of quality assurance, product development, regulatory affairs, research, and technical services for food processing and related operations. He has worked with a wide range of canned, frozen, dehydrated, and freeze-dried products, including fruits and vegetables, juices, soups, snacks, meat & poultry, and seafood.

Another prominent faculty is Dr. Karen Killinger. She joined Washington State University in 2006 as an Assistant Professor and Consumer Food Safety Specialist. Dr. Killinger is a co-instructor in HACCP and also leads the Good Agricultural Practices Workshops team. Her research interest lies in educational programs for at-risk populations for foodborne illness and hard-to-reach audiences; food safety at food service establishments; the relationship of cooked meat color to internal temperature and antimicrobial drug resistance in foodborne pathogens.

Cathy Blood, Conference Coordinator in the School of Food Science. She organizes our courses, workshops, and food product evaluation program. She oversees all aspects of course logistics, including website management, on-site coordination, registrations, and course material organization.

In addition to these people, we depend on many other colleagues in our home department, extension, the university, governments, and the industry to assure delivery of solutions to food industry problems and opportunities.