Making Georgia the National and International Leader in the Food Processing Industry in the 21st Century

Food Processing Advisory Council

 

 

 


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Operational Guidelines for FoodPAC

Advisory Council to Georgia’s Traditional Industries Program for Food Processing

 

VISION - To make Georgia the national and international leader in food processing in the 21st century.

MISSION - To enhance the competitiveness of Georgia’s food processing and allied industries in order to provide for economic growth through expansion of existing industries and the attraction of new food-related industries.

 

FoodPAC Organization

The Food Processing Advisory Council (FoodPAC) provides a wide range of coordination, dissemination, and oversight functions for the Traditional Industries Program for Food Processing. Organizationally, the Council is structured into a Steering Committee and three Technical Committees (Environmental, Food Safety, and Process & Product Competitiveness). State funding for the Traditional Industries Program for Food Processing is provided through the legislative appropriations process with FoodPAC directly accountable to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget for program implementation and management. Industry representatives in cooperation with academic advisors from various University System of Georgia institutions are responsible for all official actions of FoodPAC.

Industry Representatives

Food and allied industry representatives lead this initiative. Any qualified industry representative committed to the vision and mission of FoodPAC may be nominated to serve in the FoodPAC leadership positions outlined in these guidelines. To qualify, an industry representative must be active in one of the professions/industry sectors mentioned in the Steering Committee guidelines. Substitutes may be appointed to attend any meeting with full voting privileges. However, a representative's failure to attend or send a substitute to two consecutive meetings will result in that representative's removal from service.

University Advisors

University Advisors play a very important role in all FoodPAC activities. These advisors coordinate the review process for each of the technical committees and serve as the academic stewards of each technical area.

Technical Committee Chairs

Technical Committee Chairs organize and conduct meetings of their respective groups for the purpose of first, setting the research priorities for a given year, and then recommending a priority-based slate of research initiatives to the Steering Committee for final discussion and approval.

State Government Coordinators

State Government Coordinators represent various departments or governmental leaders that desire to be a resource to the activities of FoodPAC. These individuals may participate in FoodPAC committee meetings at every level, but they may not vote on any issue.

Executive Coordinator

The Executive Coordinator is appointed each year by the Steering Committee and serves as the chief liaison between FoodPAC, the Office of Planning and Budget, and the legislature. This is an unpaid position. The Executive Coordinator assists in the organization of all FoodPAC committee functions and also serves on the FoodPAC Executive Committee.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is comprised of no more than 19 members. The Steering Committee is responsible for making the final decision on all FoodPAC research proposals based upon factors including, but not limited to, recommendations from the Technical Committees, commodity or industry sector balance, and economic viability.

One each from the following industry sectors:

Five at-large positions representing allied professions including, but not limited to:

Each year prior to the summer meeting of the Steering Committee, a three-member nominating committee appointed by the sitting Chair will develop a recommendation for the Chair and Vice Chair for the following year. These leaders may represent any sector or at-large profession.

A majority of the Steering Committee constitutes a quorum.

The Chair votes only in the event of a tie.

Technical Committee Chairs and University Advisors serve as ex-officio members of the Steering Committee. Although these members do not have voting privileges, they may contribute to any discussion in the Steering Committee process.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is composed of the Steering Committee Chair and Vice Chair plus the Executive Coordinator and may fulfill any task delegated by the Steering Committee. The Immediate Past Chair serves as a non-voting member of the Executive Committee.

Technical Committees

Technical Committees establish specific industry priorities for their respective technical area and review submitted project proposals for technical merit and response to identified needs and then ranks each in order. Individuals that serve on these committees also review the progress and completion of projects and work with project coordinators to provide status reports through the FoodPAC Annual Report.

Technical Committees operate under the same guidelines as the Steering Committee with regard to industry representation and leadership structure. In the event that a Technical Committee is unsuccessful in reaching the goals for diversity due to the lack of interest or applicability, the Steering Committee may appoint to service up to three individuals from a single industry sector. Technical Committees may appoint or organize specific sector workgroups as the need arises, yet any one sector is limited to no more than three votes on a Technical Committee.

Committee Service Terms

Service on FoodPAC committees is limited to two consecutive three-year terms. This policy applies to service on the Steering Committee, Technical Committee, or combined service on both committees. Time served as either chairman or vice chairman of a committee does not count toward this service limit. Members reaching the allowed service limit must sit out a full three-year term before being eligible for reappointment. Terms commence and expire annually at the summer meeting of the Steering Committee.

Committee Nomination Process

The Executive Committee along with two representatives from the Steering Committee and the Technical Committee Chairs serve as the Nomination Committee. This group is responsible for seeking and reviewing nominations for service on any FoodPAC committee. The report of this group is submitted to the Steering Committee during the summer meeting for approval.

Planning Cycle

FoodPAC’s Steering Committee sets strategic goals in April of each year for the Traditional Industries Program for Food Processing. Its Technical Committees then meet between the 15th of June and the 1st of August to establish research priorities for the program.

These priorities are forwarded to the Steering Committee, which reconvenes in mid-August to assemble a research priority and budget plan for submission to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget. A final budget is ultimately recommended by the Governor in early January and approved by the Legislature by mid-March.

FoodPAC issues a Call for Project Proposals in the fall of each year for funding in the next fiscal year. All proposals are expected to address one or more of the published research priorities and are due to the Council by the 1st of February, at which time they are reviewed and prioritized by the Technical Committees.

The Technical Committee recommendations are forwarded to the Steering Committee by the middle of March, and a final project funding plan matching approved funds with research priority needs is assembled in early April. Project notification takes place by mid-April, and approved projects start up in July with the new state fiscal year.

 

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