Future FOODS of America?

Story and photo by Dan Lemke

Marshall, Minn. — Do the names “Whoa Mama Enchilada” or “Pizza on the Run” ring a bell? Probably not, as they aren’t real consumer items — yet. Perhaps one day they will.

They’re two examples of products developed by FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) food science teams at a contest hosted by AURI this spring. While it’s still a relatively new event for the FFA, the competition drew eight Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota teams to Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn.

Part of the competition required teams to develop a new food product that adds value to less popular cuts of beef. Each team developed a concept, planned ingredients and serving sizes, assessed storage and handling needs along with production costs, set prices and designed a marketing plan. Then they shared their ideas with a panel of judges.

“This is a fairly new category, so I didn’t really know what to expect,” says AURI’s Jody Koubsky, a former state FFA officer and a competition judge. “I was impressed with the variety of products and the creativity of the students.”

Though each team had the same ingredients to choose from, all came up with their own product idea and formula. A common theme ran throughout the proposals, however; a theme that may have been inspired by the contestants’ age.

“Their products were reflective of their generation,” Koubsky says. “There was a real focus on convenience and quick preparation. They all had a pretty good grasp of the market they’re in and how a large segment of the market will be influenced in the future.”

Other competition areas included a written test, a response to an industry complaint letter, a food-safety photo identification test and a sensory test for food qualities such as freshness and aroma.

“It’s fun to be able to work with young people who someday will be our agricultural leaders,” says Steve Olson, manager of AURI’s Marshall field office and also a former state FFA officer. “They’re getting a chance to see some of what is involved with the development of a new food product.”

Contest sponsors included AURI, Southwest State University, Hormel and Minnesota State University– Mankato; MSU-Mankato also provided $1,000 for the winning team’s travels to the national contest in Louisville, Ky. (see story below).

Stillwater wins food contest

A Stillwater FFA team is this year’s winner of the Minnesota State Food Science and Technology Career Development Event — held at AURI in Marshall (see accompanying story). The winning team, one of two from Stillwater, will represent Minnesota at a national FFA event in Louisville, Ky. this fall.

“This is the first (FFA) team going to nationals in Stillwater’s history,” says Amy Hexum, FFA Advisor at the Stillwater Senior High School.

Anticipation was high before the event, Hexum says. “They’re very into this contest thing, and we only knew that the team would be developing a bakery and meat product.” Once in play, they’re given a scenario, such as a big family must be able to make this product on the go, and they have options for the types of meat, cheese, spices and other ingredients that can go into the recipe

The Stillwater team designed the “Super Speedy Burrito,” although the recipe, which follows, was only one aspect of the contest. They also blind-tested three kinds of potato chips, distinguishing low fat from regular, and batches of popcorn, rating staleness. They conducted a nutritional analysis of their recipe, took a written test, and performed other work like real-life food scientists.

While all the students may not choose food industry careers, the contest “makes them more aware of the food they eat and what goes into it,” Hexum says.

“It’s applicable to real life.”