QOOT Cluster in collaboration with The Laboratories for the Environment, Agriculture and Food (LEAF) are organizing a virtual event to announce their partnership as well as a workshop on taking your agri-food product one step further.
Date: Thursday, April 1, 2021
Time: 4:00pm to 5:30pm
Zoom platform: Link will be shared upon registration
Workshop Details
Since its establishment in 1997, LEAF has been providing the local industry with lab testing services ranging from air quality monitoring to noise level assessment, to microbiological and food safety testing, to nutritional facts, among other services. Since March 2020, under the new management, LEAF has set a new vision and mission to provide high-quality services meeting international standards in analytical testing and training services covering food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, water, soil, wastewater, and compost. LEAF aims to be one of the reference labs in Lebanon and the Arab World for analytical testing. LEAF believes that its success is linked to that of its partners and clients. Offering new services, we are excited to explore new avenues along with the Agro-food industry to bring new products to life.
Agenda
16:00 – 16:10 Academia-Industry Partnership – Opening Remarks: Dr. Rabi Mohtar, Dean, Faculty of Agricultural & Food Sciences
16:10 – 16:20 Academia-Industry Partnership – Opening Remarks: Ms. Nadine Khoury, President, QOOT Cluster
16:20 – 16:30 Introduction to LEAF & QOOT Partnership Agreement: Ms. Jihane Chahla, Manager, QOOT Cluster
16:30 – 17:30 The Agro-food Industry & Product Development Challenges: Dr. Mohamad G Abiad, Associate Professor & Director, Laboratories for the Environment, Agriculture, and Food (LEAF)
Speaker
Dr. Mohamad G Abiad , Associate Professor & Director, Laboratories for the Environment, Agriculture, and Food (LEAF)
Dr. Mohamad Abiad is currently the associate professor and director of Laboratories for the Environment, Agriculture, and Food (LEAF). He also holds an adjunct faculty position at the School of Packaging at Michigan State University (MSU). He holds a Bachelor of Engineering, an MBA, an MSE, and a Ph.D. in Food Process Engineering. He is a Lifetime Certified Packaging Professional from the Institute of Packaging Professionals; a certified environmental sampler; a certified Six Sigma Champion, certified by the Better Process Control School (FDA) on Canned Foods, Principles of Thermal Process Control, Acidification and Container Closure Evaluation; and PCQI Certified by the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance.
He is also a member of several professional organizations, including the Institute of Packaging Professionals, the Institute of Food Technologists; the International Society of Food Engineering; the Food Safety Alliance for Packaging; and the Order of Engineers and Architects – Beirut Chapter.
Dr. Abiad’s research interests include investigating issues related to food waste recycling, food packaging design,
development, and testing. He has provided his expert opinion and consulting services to the Lebanese and Middle East and North Africa Agro-food industries at various levels, including Food Waste Reduction and Recycling; Package Testing and Evaluation; Shelf-life testing; Product development; Rheological Testing; and Chemical Analysis. Dr. Abiad is well published with more than 46 publications in international high-tier peer-reviewed journals and serves as an expert member of several national and regional food industry technical committees, including LIBNOR.
Dr. Abiad has also been working as an independent consultant for the agro-food industry in Lebanon and the Middle East and North African region with more than 20 years of experience in food processing and packaging. He has been providing his expert opinion, consulting, and training services to more than 25 private companies and governmental institutions in Lebanon and the region. He has worked with several funding programs, including the European Union, USAID, FAO, UNDP, ESCWA, among others. He has organized more than a dozen capacity-building workshops on various topics related to the food industry, food waste, and food loss and participating in various international conferences presenting his research.
If you have any questions please email us on Chantale.khourieh@qoot.org and we will get back to you.
