LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Friday that $5 million from Restricted Reserve will go toward construction of the University of Arkansas Department of Food Science’s Center of Excellence for Food Science and Innovation.
The announcement followed a vote by the Arkansas Legislative Council, according to the governor’s office. The state funding builds on $30 million in federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. John Boozman for the project.
The planned two-story, 62,000-square-foot facility will house specialized laboratories and serve faculty, staff and students in the Department of Food Science. State officials said the center is intended to expand research, support Arkansas-grown commodities and help prepare students for food science careers.
The governor’s office said the facility will support work in areas including food microbiology and safety, sensory and consumer sciences, food chemistry, food systems engineering and food for health.
