The Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) is a United States Department of Agriculture laboratory center in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. The Center researches new industrial and food uses for agricultural commodities, develops new technology to improve environmental quality, and provides technical support to federal regulatory and action agencies. With approximately , ERRC is the largest of the

Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...

(USDA-ARS) research centers.

History

ERRC was one of four regional labs set up by the

Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 :''This is an article about the "Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938". For the act by the same name in 1933, see Agricultural Adjustment Act.'' The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 () was legislation in the United States that was enacted as an ...

, when Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania was chosen to host this facility, named the Eastern Regional Research Center. The other regional labs set up by the 1938 act are located in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

( National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research), New Orleans, Louisiana ( Southern Regional Research Center), and

Albany, California Albany ( ) is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in northwestern Alameda County, California. The population was 20,271 at the 2020 census. History In 1908, a group of local women protested the dumping of Berkeley garbage in their ...

(

Western Regional Research Center The Western Regional Research Center (WRRC), located in Albany, California, is one of four regional laboratories within the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. The WRRC has six research units, which condu ...

Landmark Designation

The American Chemical Society designated the research on food dehydration processes at the Eastern Regional Research Center as a National Historic Chemical Landmark in a ceremony in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, on April 18, 2007. The plaque commemorating the event reads: "Chemists, chemical engineers, and food technologists at the Eastern Regional Research Center developed innovative dehydration technologies, most notably the potato flake process and explosion puffing. These technologies created opportunities for the development of novel, high-quality convenience foods and food ingredients for domestic and global markets. Instant mashed potatoes and formulated potato crisps, both made from potato flakes, are among the most popular and recognizable food products ever created. These food dehydration technologies increased U.S. potato production and utilization, provided key products for food aid programs, and made a lasting and significant impact on the ways in which foods are processed worldwide."

References

External links

Eastern Regional Research Center
— official website {{authority control 1938 establishments in Pennsylvania Agricultural research institutes in the United States Buildings and structures in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania United States Department of Agriculture facilities Research institutes in Pennsylvania