CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 05/19/16

Georgia 4-H'ers compete to develop the next big snacking sensation

By Merritt Melancon

From crackers, to cheese snacks, to nutritionally enhanced juices, each new food that debuts on grocery store shelves starts with an idea and entrepreneurial passion.

This year more than 20 Georgia 4-H’ers showcased that same innovation and passion when they entered the nation’s only 4-H Food Product Development Contest.

“These youth are well on their way to careers in food development,” said University of Georgia Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Specialist Cheryl Varnadoe, who has organized the contest for more than a decade. “We hope that many of them will choose to attend UGA and study food science.”

The contest requires teams of Senior Georgia 4-H’ers to not only develop a novel food product, but to develop a full marketing plan for that product. In May, three final teams – from Spalding, Chatham and Walker counties – traveled to Athens, Georgia, to present their ideas to food industry experts at the UGA Department of Food Science and Technology.

This year’s winners, from Spalding County 4-H, are the creators of Ice Cream Dippers, Fritos corn chip-sized, sugar-cone wafers that consumers can use as an edible spoon.

Team Ice Cream Dippers envisioned that the dippers would be sold in french fry-style cartons alongside ice cream at sporting events or other places where a traditional ice cream cone might be too messy.

Members of the team include Hannah Rutledge, Isabel Rutledge, Carrianna Simmons, Nathaniel Haulk, Jordan Turner, Francisco Javier Zepeda and their coach, 4-H Program Assistant Lisa Kelley.

Members of the second-place Chatham County 4-H team who represented their GAP2 line of Georgia-focused muffin cakes include Sonté Davis, Ashley Johnson, Amari McDonald, Anna Morris, Faythe Robinson and their coach, Chatham County 4-H volunteer Martha Morris.

Members of the third-place Walker County 4-H team who represented their dairy-free cheese cracker, CheezBeez, included Ella Carter, Rylie Chamlee, Jeanna Sweatmon and their coach, Walker County Extension agent Casey Hobbs.

This is the second year that Spalding County 4-H’ers have submitted Ice Cream Dippers to the contest. In 2015, they came in second place. They spent the last year polishing their pitch, and this year they came in first.

The devotion that these teams have to their products is not rare, Varnadoe said. The winners of the 2015 Georgia 4-H Food Product Development Contest, Coffee County 4-H’s Ninja Chips, submitted their fruit-studded snack crackers three years in a row.

Each year they would take the judge’s feedback, work on their chips and revise their presentation until their work paid off. The Ninja Chips team was the first to showcase their product at UGA’s Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest in Atlanta, an annual event that draws hundreds to the Georgia Freight Depot to sample the state’s best, new food products.

This year’s winners may be able to display their products on a much larger stage, said Varnadoe. Georgia 4-H has been asked to develop and host a national 4-H Food Product Development Contest in the future.

For more information about Georgia 4-H and how get involved, visit georgia4h.org.

Merritt Melancon, a public relations manager for the UGA Terry College of Business, previously served as a public relations coordinator for the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Extension.

Authors:
Merritt Melancon
Experts/Sources:
Cheryl R. Varnadoe
Members of the first place Spalding County 4-H Food Product Development Team include Hannah Rutledge, Isabel Rutledge, Carrianna Simmons, Nathaniel Haulk, Jordan Turner, Francisco Javier Zepeda and their coach, 4-H Program Assistant Lisa Kelley.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Thermal imaging technology could improve the production of fruits and vegetables. CAES News
Thermal imaging may help fruits, veggies stay fresher longer 10/28/24 Savannah Peat
Before your favorite produce arrives at the grocery store, it must be carefully harvested and maintained across long stretches of time. A recent University of Georgia review suggests new temperature measuring technologies could make that process much simpler, amid growing agricultural challenges fueled by fluctuating climates. Maintaining temperature, humidity and light is critical to ensuring fruits and vegetables don’t spoil or deteriorate rapidly. Temperature spikes are the root of adverse outcomes, so monitoring these changes quickly and accurately is key.
Cairo, Georgia CAES News
New funding for UGA faculty to address rural issues 09/16/24 Baker Owens
The Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty at the University of Georgia has announced the list of funded faculty seed grants to address issues in rural Georgia. The grants offer funding between $5,000 and $10,000 for faculty to engage with rural Georgians on issues that are critical for their communities. The program encourages collaboration between faculty in UGA schools and colleges with faculty in Public Service and Outreach and UGA Cooperative Extension already working throughout rural Georgia.
goldenlatte CAES News
UGA researchers develop ‘instant’ version of trendy golden milk latte 08/21/24 Jordan Powers
Nestled among cappuccinos and traditional espresso lattes, a unique, golden-hued beverage has grown increasingly popular on cafe menus over the past several years. Advertised as a caffeine-free, healthy coffee alternative, “golden” turmeric milk is a take on haldi doodh — a traditional Indian beverage often used as an at-home cold remedy. Now researchers at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have developed a new method to make a plant-based, instant version of the beverage.
Northern Thai food CAES News
Exploring the world through food 07/30/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
From the agricultural revolution to globalization, food has always held a defining role for humanity, with foodways serving as the foundation of many cultures and civilizations throughout history. “We talk about food around the dinner table. The food choices we make, the origins of the foods, and where they come from are fascinating,” said Ronald Pegg, one of three University of Georgia instructors for “The Impact of Food and World History and Culture,” a class that takes students on an interdisciplinary exploration of how food shapes societies.
20240111 NC ADT MARCM 041 CAES News
CAES student follows her zeal for food safety to UGA School of Law 07/09/24 Lillian Dickens
The career world is wide open for students at the University of Georgia, a life lesson third-year student Emily Harris learned as a food science major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Harris plans to attend the UGA School of Law to pursue a degree in food regulation and law this fall, a unique path she discovered through classes in the Department of Food Science and Technology.
A team of researchers at CFS, led by director Francisco Diez, studied the potential uses of antimicrobial blue light to eliminate pathogens in manufacturing facilities. CAES News
CAES researchers ensure a safer global food supply 06/07/24 Jennifer L Reynolds
In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly established June 7 as World Food Safety Day to bring awareness of foodborne risks and “to celebrate the myriad benefits of safe food.” With 25 faculty members involved in food safety microbiology, the University of Georgia has one of the largest teams of food safety researchers of any university. Their research and collaboration efforts contribute to a growing body of knowledge that ensures producers and consumers have the latest information about food safety.