Sweeney Tours Rutgers’ Food Innovation Center

Trenton – Senate President Steve Sweeney toured Rutgers’ Food Innovation Center South today, part of their Agricultural Experiment Station which facilitates development and economic growth within the food industry.

“Rutgers Food Innovation Centers are an incredible asset to our state,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “They have clearly distinguished themselves as one of the best there is and the impact they’ve had on the economic development of our state’s food industry is immeasurable. I look forward to seeing what they will produce in the future.”

The Rutgers Food Innovation Centers is a food business incubation and international soft landings program. The centers and their network throughout the state provide a unique food industry resource which focuses on supporting domestic and international companies seeking to establish a presence in the United States.

State funding for the Agricultural Experiment Station included in this year’s budget is one of the 64 line items currently frozen by the Murphy administration. Senator Sweeney, confident in the Legislature’s revenue estimates, has expressed his commitment to ensuring the program receives the funding awarded to them in the FY2020 Budget.

“It was great to have the opportunity to show Senate President Sweeney around the Food Innovation Center and give him a little bit more background on what it is we do here,” said Dr. Margaret Brennan-Tonetta, Associate Director of Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. “His advocacy for our program at the state level has been integral to its growth.”

The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station provides a diverse range of research, extension, and education programs.  The program has cooperative extension offices in all 21 counties, allowing them to serve the people of New Jersey and the communities in which they live.