Meats Research Lab & Animal Harvest

The MRL and AHF provide learning and discovery opportunities key to undergraduate and graduate education, and they are key to the department’s research and outreach missions. Both facilities are under the state equivalent of federal inspection, and they exemplify the department’s commitment to a safe and wholesome food supply through science and innovation. The MRL is located in the Nutrition and Food Sciences building on the Logan campus, and it has capabilities for fabrication of carcasses into retail cut and for production of processed meats from hams to hot dogs. The AHF is located in the Hillyard Building south of campus in the complex of operations administered through the Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences department and the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. The AHF has capacity to harvest a variety of meat animals and the carcasses are subsequently transported to the MRL for further fabrication and processing. The MRL and AHF are managed by a professional staff member so that the equipment and services are continuously available for learning, discovery and engagement activities. Laboratory sessions of academic courses with focus on meat technology and processing are conducted in the facilities, and students majoring in animal and food sciences complete internships at the facilities. Research activities vary in intensity and type based on the ongoing research programs of the department’s faculty members. The facilities are extensively contracted for use by industry for research, product development, and training.