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The Food Innovation Center at Rutgers (FIC) is a unique food business incubator that is a unit of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES).
We support established early-stage entrepreneurs and existing food companies, from concept to commercialization. Combining years of industry expertise and the advanced technologies offered by Rutgers, we provide business, marketing, food safety, product design, and scale-up expertise within FDA- and USDA-certified facilities to help companies successfully build and grow their businesses.
Upcoming training and events
Food Business Basics Returns November 17th
Food and beverage entrepreneurs—mark your calendars for the next Food Business Basics workshop, presented by the Rutgers Food Innovation Center.
This in-person, full-day program is designed to help entrepreneurs strengthen the essential areas of their businesses, with anticipated topics including statewide resources, packaging, food safety, sales strategy, branding, accounting, product development, business planning, and more.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Rutgers Eco Complex
1200 Florence Columbus Road
Bordentown, NJ 08505
Here’s what you’ll learn in one day.
Agenda
8:00am Attendee Sign In & Continental Breakfast
8:30am – 10:30am Presentations I
8:30am – 8:35am Welcome & Introduction to Rutgers EcoComplex; Serpil Guran Ph.D., Professor, Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics Director, Rutgers EcoComplex, “Transforming Agri-Food Systems into Regenerative form for Resilience”
8:35am – 8:45am Welcome & Introduction, FIC Capabilities; Nolan Lewin, Executive Director, Food Innovation Center at Rutgers
8:45am – 9:00am Statewide Resources for Entrepreneurs; Sho Islam, Director, Office of Business Engagement, Middlesex County
9:00am – 9:30am Information for small businesses that contract with the federal government; Receiving access to capital; Ted Young, Business Opportunity Specialist, US Small Business Association
9:30am – 10:00am Consumer Trends in the Food & Beverage Industry; Joyce Friedberg, Marketing Research Specialist, Food Innovation Center at Rutgers
10:00am – 10:30am Engaging with Your Local Forager (Retail); John Lawson, Senior Local Forager, Whole Foods
Break 15 minutes
10:45am – 12:15pm Presentations II
10:45am – 11:15am Accounting Basics and Entity Structure/How To Register Your Company; Speaker TBD
11:15am – 11:45am Brand Power- Creating and protecting your brand; Danielle DeFilippis, Esq., Norris McLaughlin P.A. Attorneys at Law
11:45am – 12:15pm Packaging Specifications & Compatibility; Patricia Santos, Lecturer, Rutgers University, Packaging Engineering, Dept of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
12:15pm – 1:15pm Lunch
1:15pm – 3:45pm Presentations III
1:15pm – 1:45pm Trends in Food Safety & Requirements; Speaker TBD
1:45pm – 2:15pm Developing your Businesses Sales Strategy; Ron Tanner, President, Tanner Food Group
2:15pm – 2:45pm Successful Co-Manufacturing; Adam Smith, Operations Consultant, Alias Advising
2:45pm – 3:15pm Product Development and Operations; Zuri Masud, Food Technology Associate, Food Innovation Center at Rutgers
3:15pm – 3:45pm Developing Your Business Plan – Elements, Financial, Monitor & Control; Speaker TBD
4:00pm – 4:30 pm Networking
Registration:
Early Bird Registration: $250 through October 19
Regular Registration: $300 through November 13
Student Registration is FREE. To register, email ayg6@njaes.rutgers.edu
You must have a Rutgers Division of Continuing Studies account before registering for Fall FBB 2026. If not, please create an account by following the asterisks. Registering takes about a minute; we thank you for your time.
**No Refund**
REGISTER HERE
Please register today as this event sells out fast!
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Certificate Training – Virtual!
November 03 – 05, 2026
$749
This includes a link to course materials and supporting documentation for students, and a Rutgers certificate of participation with a Gold Seal from the International HACCP Alliance. Although necessary materials are presented online, early registration is encouraged to ensure you have time to print all necessary materials; if needed.
Course Overview
This 20-hour class given over 2.5 days covers information needed for writing a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plan as required by USDA for FSIS-regulated meat, poultry, or egg products or for those producing foods under GFSI-format 3rd party audits requiring a HACCP certified individual to oversee their food safety plan. This course will give participants information for creating, implementing, and documenting a HACCP program.
Implementing SQF Systems Training EDITION 10!
November 17 – 18, 2026
Virtual
$749
Course Overview
This course includes 16 hours of instruction given over two days. Participants will learn about the latest edition of the SQF code, edition 10. This course provides an opportunity to hear practical examples of how to develop, implement, and document an SQF program in their facilities to achieve or maintain SQF Certification. This class will run 9:00 – 5pm each day.
Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCQI Certificate Training) Version 2.0 – Virtual
December 01 – 04, 2026 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday)
9:00 am-3:30 pm each day
$749
Course Overview
Food safety training is a core capability and competency of the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University (FIC). With the issuance of new regulations resulting from the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the FIC is one of the first centers in the country to offer training in Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF), consistent with the principles of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA). The course includes 20 hours of classroom instruction over two and a half days. Participants in this training will be required to take a test and will earn an official FSPCA certificate for becoming an FDA-recognized “Preventive Controls Qualified Individual” (PCQI) with the credentials for creating an FDA Food Safety Plan with hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls.
About the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University
About the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University
The Food Innovation Center (FIC) at Rutgers University is a unique food business incubator and economic development program within the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The center provides integrated business, technical, and scientific expertise to support startups and established food companies—both domestically and internationally—from early concept through commercialization.
FIC operates out of a USDA‑ and FDA‑certified food manufacturing facility located in Bridgeton, New Jersey, enabling hands‑on product development, scale‑up, and pilot production in a regulatory‑compliant environment. The center facilitates the commercialization of innovative food and ingredient technologies and provides mentoring and applied services across marketing, research and development, food safety, regulatory compliance, manufacturing, and sales and distribution.
Specializing in high-acid and acidified shelf-stable glass and PET bottling on our 6 head filling line. In recent years, the Food Innovation Center has expanded its capabilities in plant‑based foods, alternative proteins, and precision fermentation, supporting the translation of novel, sustainable ingredients into market‑ready food applications. Through close collaboration with industry, academia, and government partners, FIC serves as a bridge between research innovation and real‑world commercial deployment.