Food

The food industry consists of all processed food production. In Iowa, this industry is mostly animal products and livestock feed.

There are 680 food industry employers in the state of Iowa, employing 51,320 people. The food industry contributes $3,788,000,000 to the Gross State Product, which is 21% of the manufacturing GSP. The distribution of employees by county is displayed below:

> 200 151-200 101-150 51-100 0-50

CIRAS provides education and technical assistance to Iowa manufacturers in the areas of engineering, management practices, procurement, productivity, and quality management. Listed below are links to CIRAS resources pertaining to the food industry:

• Energy-Related Best Practices: A Sourcebook for the Food Industry

General industry links are highlighted below. Please contact the webmaster if you are aware of additional food industry-related educational links that you feel would benefit Iowa manufacturers.

Background Information

• CAST - The Science Source for Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Issues
• FoodSafety.gov
• FoodSafetyAnswers.org
• Iowa Agricultural Opportunities
• ISU Extension - Value Added Agriculture

Professional Organizations

• American Meat Institute
• Food Processing Machinery Association
• International Association of Food Industry Suppliers
• International Dairy Food Association
• National Food Processors Association, Inc.

Third Party Resources

• President's Food Safety Working Group
• A Taste Of Iowa
• Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
• Food Production Daily
• IowaCorn.org
• IowaPork.org
• USDA Agricultural Marketing Service

Sources

1. Bureau of Economic Analysis: Regional Accounts GSP data (2000)
2. Harris Selectory, June 2002

E-mail: ciras.info@iastate.edu