Let’s eat! Exploring food science

Nearly every packaged product contains some form of soy. Look at the label of a granola bar, bread, or crackers—soy lecithin is usually an ingredient. Soy lecithin is a versatile additive that helps keep water “bound” to other compounds, lengthening shelf life and preserving the flavor of the food. Vegetable oil is generally 100% soy oil. And Ohio is number six in soybean production in the United States.

Ohio is home to over 1,300 food manufacturing facilities of all sizes and in most every food production segment. With 3.5% of the US population, Ohio produces nearly 5% of the country’s food and beverages by value.

Nine of the top ten food processing companies have facilities in Ohio. At least four of the top 100 are headquartered in Ohio, including JM Smucker, Great Lakes Cheese, Lancaster Colony, and Sugar Creek.

Ohio is a powerhouse in food packaging, with approximately 98 companies producing plastic wrap, recycled paper bowls, foam clamshells, gas permeable produce bags, labels, cans, lids, bottles, jars and more. Having these food packaging suppliers in close proximity to food manufacturing shortens the supply chain and lends itself to innovation, a priority in the rapidly changing food marketplace.