Colorado State University (CSU) has begun constructing the new JBS Global Food Innovation Center. The $15 million state-of-the-art facility will focus on best practices in three distinct areas--food safety, meat sciences and animal handling and welfare.

The JBS facility will help to enhance CSU’s meat sciences program in terms of teaching and research. The building will also offer space for industry collaboration by way of continuing education opportunities, training, equipment development and testing, and more. Furthermore, CSU students will be able to learn about meat processing in a completely hands-on environment, a benefit that is not currently available at the institution.

The Center was made possible thanks to a substantial $7.5 million gift from JBS USA, a processor of beef, pork and lamb in the U.S. and Canada. JBS now has a strategic partnership with CSU that is valued at $12.5 million.

“We have had a long-standing research and academic partnership with JBS, and this gift will allow us to cement that relationship for years to come,” says dean of CSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences Ajay Menon. “This facility is designed to provide our students with the hands-on experiences that will position them for careers in industry and academia, especially as they work alongside faculty members who are producing innovations in food safety, food security, and animal welfare.”

The Center is expected to train and grow the next generation of food and agricultural leaders not only in Colorado, but across the U.S.

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