NEFU Inaugurates the College of Food and Health-Northeast Forestry University

NEFU Inaugurates the College of Food and Health

DATE：2026-08-07AUTHOR: VIEW:

On July 15, NEFU held the Inauguration Ceremony for the College of Food and Health and the International Symposium on Forest Food and Medicinal Resources in the conference hall on the fourth floor of the Chengdong Building.

The event was attended by Academician Li Jian of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former President of NEFU; Academician Xue Changhu, Professor at Ocean University of China and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Academician Ma Keping of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director of the Northeast Asia Biodiversity Research Center; Academician Jiang Lianzhou of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology and Professor at Northeast Agricultural University; Hou Xumin, Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group and Director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Forestry and Grassland Administration; Hu Baozhong, Vice Chairman of the Harbin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); representatives from peer universities, including Northeast Agricultural University; Song Wenlong, President of NEFU; Li Mingze, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee and Vice President of NEFU; alumni representatives; representatives from enterprises, public institutions, and research organizations; and heads of NEFU’s administrative departments, colleges, and affiliated units. Members of the College’s leadership team, faculty representatives, students, and international students also attended the ceremony. Vice President Li Mingze chaired the event.

The inauguration ceremony.

In his address, President Song Wenlong stated that the establishment of the College of Food and Health reflects NEFU’s proactive response to national strategic priorities and industrial development needs. Guided by the development blueprint for the “Six Longjiangs” and “Eight Revitalizations,” the College will leverage NEFU’s disciplinary strengths to support regional economic and social development. He emphasized that the College should remain committed to the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education, cultivate highly qualified professionals who serve people’s well-being and the food industry, strengthen its distinctive strengths in food and health sciences, and develop into a leading center for scientific innovation and talent cultivation with significant industry influence. He also called on the College to actively contribute to the comprehensive revitalization of Heilongjiang Province through concrete achievements.

President Song Wenlong delivers his address.

On behalf of Northeast Agricultural University, Jiang Yujun, Member of the Standing Committee of NAU’s CPC Committee and Vice President, congratulated the College on its establishment. He noted that Northeast Forestry University and Northeast Agricultural University have long shared a mission to advance agriculture and forestry in Heilongjiang Province. The two universities have built a strong foundation for cooperation in areas such as developing cold-region agricultural resources, exploring and utilizing forest food and medicinal resources, jointly cultivating high-level talent, and co-constructing industry–university–research platforms. He expressed his hope that the two universities would further deepen regular exchanges and comprehensive cooperation to jointly advance the development of Heilongjiang’s modern food and health industry, in support of national strategies and regional revitalization.

Jiang Yujun delivers his speech.

Professor Sheng Lianxi, an alumnus of NEFU’s 1996 Botany program and former Secretary of the CPC Committee at Northeast Normal University, reflected on the distinguished history of NEFU’s botanical sciences. Under the leadership of the discipline’s founding scholar, Professor Zhou Yiliang, generations of outstanding scholars and industry leaders have made significant contributions to China’s forestry, grassland development, and ecological civilization. He encouraged faculty, students, and alums to remain committed to education, actively engage in practice, and work together to promote the College’s high-quality, sustainable development.

Professor Sheng Lianxi delivers his address.

In his keynote remarks, Academician Xue Changhu observed that the global food science and health industry is undergoing unprecedented transformation. Intensifying international technological competition, concerns about food security, and growing public demand for health have pushed food science beyond its traditional focus on food processing into new frontiers, including green and low-carbon technologies, precision nutrition, intelligent manufacturing, and ecological health. He stressed that the College should remain true to its educational mission, focus on overcoming key technological challenges facing the food industry and pressing issues affecting people’s livelihoods, and transform its disciplinary and research strengths into drivers of industrial innovation and regional development. He also called on the College to contribute Chinese technologies and solutions to global development in food and health across the agriculture and forestry sectors.

Academician Xue Changhu delivers his address.

After the speeches, Academician Li Jian, Academician Xue Changhu, Academician Ma Keping, Academician Jiang Lianzhou, Hou Xumin, Hu Baozhong, and President Song Wenlong jointly unveiled the plaque for the College of Food and Health, marking its official founding.