Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension Centers
Virginia Tech's Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (ARECs) enable agricultural innovations to be tested in real world applications at 11 different centers spread across the Commonwealth of Virginia. These centers also provide learning opportunities for local farms and Extension Agents from Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), central to the university's land-grant mission. We partner with ARECs on a variety of research projects, from aquaculture to cellular agriculture.
Virginia Seafood AREC
FST Muscle Food Safety Extension Specialist Katheryn Parraga-Estrada is based at the Virginia Seafood AREC in Hampton. Her work is dedicated to ensuring the safety of muscle food products, particularly seafood. Specializing in enhancing food safety protocols in retail stores, she develops educational programs to elevate and advocate for food safety standards in the seafood industry. Dr. Parraga-Estrada also focuses on improving food safety knowledge and communication within the Hispanic food industry workforce. With expertise in bilingual publications, training materials, sanitation programs, good manufacturing practices, and HACCP plans, she collaborates with businesses to evaluate and enhance food safety programs. Her commitment to education includes conducting training sessions at the Seafood AREC, covering HACCP, Good Manufacturing Practices, and Sanitation Control Procedures in both English and Spanish.
