A Body of Good

Milk. It is a staple in many households. The thing about staples is, they are easy to overlook. The everyday is often taken for granted. At Michigan State, much work is rooted in the opposite. Researchers take nothing for granted as they seek new solutions for populations around the globe and right here at home. No surprise. In East Lansing, there is a long history of contributions to the food world, and the world in general. Not least of which is the story of the late Verghese Kurien.

For anyone unfamiliar with the “Milkman of India,” here is a primer: After receiving an engineering degree in India, Kurien made his way to MSU where he earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1948. When he returned to India the following year, Kurien began working as a dairy engineer at the small Government Research Creamery in Anand—just as the country was in the throes of battle against a milk monopoly.

For years, the Polson brand had been overpowering dairy producers. The giant would buy milk from farmers for next to nothing and sell it for massive profits, while paying little mind to food safety. The country was milk deficient. It was at this time, from the creamery in Anand—now home to the internationally renowned Amul dairy cooperative—that Kurien fought for better treatment and protection for dairy producers of India.

As rural farmers organized local cooperatives, Kurien orchestrated an effort to take ownership of their product, bringing everything in-house. He used his engineering background to build processing plants, and his entrepreneurial mindset to set up marketing campaigns and shipping schematics. That way, local producers would be able to distribute their milk to local consumers. And that meant fresher, safer dairy products for all. In just a few years, the co-op program in Anand blossomed into a movement of millions of farmers, no longer answering to private interests, but rightfully in control of their milk.

The project was such a success in the region, it was named the na­tional model for dairy distribution. This was labeled Operation Flood, in which Kurien helped deliver milk to the masses via farmer-led co-ops across the country.

Today, India is the world’s number one milk producer. And Kurien’s model has been mirrored by China as well as countries in Southeast Asia and Africa.

“He was a real visionary who built a complete infrastructure. Cold storage, transportation, rural man­agement, even schools,” says Amol Pavangadkar (M.A. ’05, Communi­cation Arts and Sciences), professor of practice and a senior specialist in the School of Journalism who is producing and directing a documen­tary about Kurien.

For the film, Pavangadkar is work­ing on two separate productions simultaneously: an Indian version, which will receive wide release in multiple languages, and an Amer­ican version that interweaves Kurien’s journey with that of today’s international students. He hopes to have the films ready for release on Kurien’s 100th birth anniversary later this year.

What fascinates him about Kurien? “Of course I knew who he was, but I didn’t know he went to MSU until 2010. And I have been here since ’02. The story is known worldwide but hasn’t been told from an MSU perspective.”

Kurien, who died in 2012, won the World Food Prize in 1989, and was awarded all three Parma awards, repre­senting India’s highest civilian honor. He received the MSU Distinguished Alumni Award in ’91, and an honorary doctorate in ’65. To this day, Kurien’s MSU degrees hang prominently in his family home.

“Above the awards and everything else, it’s about pride in what’s been achieved,” Pavangadkar adds. “He defines the mis­sion and mindset of the premier land-grant university.”

It’s true, Kurien’s influential model has changed the course of food distri­bution, safety and management sys­tems around the globe. But there’s so much more to it than milk. Creating change, bettering lives and working together to make the right things happen. It’s the kind of Spartans Will that lives on in East Lansing, where today’s minds are combining research with outreach. Globally engaged for the greater good. The Milkman would approve.

GLOBAL VIEW

“I am obsessed with food.” So obsessed that Felicia Wu made it her life’s work. As an advocate and scientist in food safety, Wu’s areas of interest bring together global public health, agriculture and trade. Recently ap­pointed to the United Nations Food & Agri­culture Organization Livestock Food Security and Nutrition Scientific Advisory Committee, Wu is work­ing alongside 20 researchers to examine the trans­formation of global supply chains. This research will assess safety concerns and work with nations world­wide to improve food safety and human nutrition.

“It’s about protecting the population at large from con­taminants which are fairly easily preventable,” Wu says of her work. “It’s a matter of applying simple food safety principles.”

But the hurdles are varied, and many simply do not have ways to protect themselves. One major barrier? Electricity. Some places are too far removed from a grid, while others experience sporadic blackouts and unreli­able connections.

Lack of electricity makes cold storage a challenge. In the U.S., a complete cold supply chain is the norm. Food that starts cold, stays cold. And while it is a privilege to keep food at safe temperatures in our homes, those precautions can be traced back down the line from su­permarkets, to shipping containers, to storage facilities. Other countries are not so fortunate.

Wu’s work at MSU and with national and international committees aims to shed light on food safety solutions. One of those solutions is the development of a dry chain. “After harvest, we can dry food, and it will last for quite a long time,” says Wu. And reducing moisture in the food supply is just as essential here as anywhere in the world.

This is where Brad Marks (’89, Agriculture and Natural Resources & Honors College) comes in. Professor and chairperson of the department of biosystems and agri­cultural engineering, Marks’ primary focus is improving microbial safety in ready-to-eat foods.

Marks is leading a low-moisture food systems research group as part of a $9.8 million grant from the U.S. De­partment of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The project is developing the data and science to help establish safe, consistent operations in the dry foods space. Why is this important? The answer is probably in your pantry. Since the early 2000s, a grow­ing number of E. coli and salmonella outbreaks in the U.S. have been linked to flour. Baking with it is fine, but sneaking a taste of that cookie dough before it hits the oven? It’s not just the eggs that get you.

It’s not just the flour either. Outbreaks on American soil have been linked to pistachios, almonds, walnuts and peanut butter, to name a few.

“Historically, people never thought of dry foods as risky, but we’ve started discovering bad bacteria in these places,” says Marks, “and the pathogens are more resistant and tougher to kill.” Since dry foods lack the moisture that lets bacteria easily thrive, these germs grow ever more resilient in the stark settings. “That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger is true for bacteria, too.”