December 1, 2019  -  In August of this year Attorney Woodhouse finished his second Food Science related Master of Science Degree at Michigan State University.

I, of course, would never have been able to work at the level of competence required in the modern Food Industry without my original MS Food Safety (Microbiology, Toxicology, Food Chemistry). However as the years passed I became increasingly aware of the importance of detailed scientific training in Food Packaging (Materials Science & Engineering for the Protection and Preservation of Food Products).

Thus, in 2016 I began an intensive program at Michigan State University's School of Packaging (College of Natural Resources & Agricultural Sciences). It is particularly difficult and demanding for a person qualified in Biological Sciences to move into the world of Materials Science which requires years of course work in Physics and Advanced Mathematics not used in the Biological Sciences. My first year of my program was dedicated to returning to advanced undergraduate courses in Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering which had not been included in my Dartmouth undergraduate studies in biological sciences.

Now, with my new (August 2019) Master of Science in Packaging I am fully prepared to assist clients in the complex areas of Polymer Science that relate to the correct selection of Food Contact Materials and to the Regulation of these materials in the United States and the European Union.

In Food Engineering we classify many of these challenges in the area of "EOL Operations" (End-of-Line) which address the important areas of Packaging. Preservation, and Protection as Food Products enter the Transportation, Distribution, and Storage phase of the Food Supply Chain.

My final requirement for graduation in August 2019 was met with the submission, in June 2019, of my article titled "The European Single-Use Plastics Ban - Implications for Food Safety and Food Protection".

We look forward to returning in 2020 to our project of many years - presenting and commenting upon important scientific, technical, and regulatory developments in the Food Industry.