Lopez Foods Inc. has donated a check of $100,000 to Oklahoma State University's Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center, to support the university's Food Safety program.
"OSU's food safety program is a wonderful opportunity for the university, students, and food industry," the COO John Patrick Lopez said according to the news released by the university.
The food safety program is now offered as a degree option to Food Science Majors in the OSU Department of Animal Science, in response to the ever increasing demand for individuals specializing in food safety.
A part of OSU's Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources, FAPC's board of advisors helped in creating the program, resulting in the food safety option for undergraduates.
"We appreciate John Patrick and Lopez Foods for their support and leadership in making the food safety program a reality," the FAPC Director Roy Escoubas, said in the release.
"We are so pleased about the future of the program and a continued partnership with Lopez Foods and many other companies as we aim to fill the need for highly trained graduates in food safety."
The company was originally a spinoff of Wilson Foods, a major player in the meat packing industry, Lopez Foods was originally known as Anderson Meats, a Wilson Foods subsidiary.
Lopez Foods started producing fresh, frozen beef patties for McDonald's in 1968.
In 1992, a successful McDonald's operator in Southern California, John C. Lopez, purchased the controlling interest of the company. The company was rebranded in 1995 to reflect its diverse heritage and is now recognized as one of the top meat companies in the United States and is a leader in supplying a variety of protein products to retailers and restaurant chains around the world.
Food safety, customer satisfaction, quality, cutting-edge production philosophies, and product customization continue to define Lopez Foods.
