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Center for Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Center for Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship is an integral part of the Leavey School of Business. Since its inception in 1973, the Center has graduated more than 1000 MBA students, many of whom now hold important management positions in food business firms as well as government agencies throughout the United States and the world.
One of the major objectives of the Center is to provide students with an education in the functional areas of management with the application of modern business practices to the food industry.
SCU Alum Discusses the Most Sustainable Cropon the Planet
CFIE interviews Matt Ryan, Director of Sales and Marketing at Ocean's Halo
Join Us at the Table: Entrepreneurial Endeavors of SCU Alumna
CFIE interviews Courtney Peters, Co-owner of Caramel Caravan
Meet the Industry: Connections, Jobs, and Resources in the Food Business
Meet recruiters from Gallo Wines, Imperfect Foods, Impossible Foods, and Founder/CEO of Ocho Chocolate discussing best practices for recent graduates entering the job market in the food and beverage industry.
Want to view more Join Us at the Table sessions?
Click on the CFIE Events tab on the top of this page then click on the Join Us at the Table dropdown.
Small Farms, Big Potential: Growing a Resilient Local Food System
Food System Alliance - Executive Summary
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In the News
Dr. Gregory Baker Talks with CBS Affiliate KPIX about Unharvested Produce in California Farms
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/11/28/study-shows-unharvested-produce-california-rots/
On-farm food loss in northern and central California: Results of field survey measurements
Read the full paper here
Prevailing estimates of food loss at the farm level are sparse and often reliant upon grower surveys. A more comprehensive review of food loss at the farm level using field surveys is required to gain an adequate understanding of the depth of this issue. This paper details the results of 123 in-field surveys and 18 in-depth interviews of 20 different, hand-harvested field crops performed largely on midsize to large conventional farms in northern and central California. We also provide estimates of the percentage of fields that go unharvested, commonly known as walk-by fields. The results show that food loss is highly variable and largely dependent upon the crop, variety, market price, labor costs, grower practices, buyer specifications, and environmental conditions. On average, we found 11,299 kg/ha of food loss at the farm level, which equates to 31.3% of the marketed yield. When walk-by losses are included, this figure rises to 33.7%. Our paper also demonstrates that grower estimates are typically very unreliable for estimating on-farm food losses. Actual, measured edible food loss exceeded growers’ estimates by a median value of 157%. Strategies to utilize this lost produce could play a significant role in reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment and providing food for the rapidly growing population.