Sterilizing water and other liquid content in food and beverage processing often involves high heat. But the energy needed to produce that heat is costly, and high temperatures can diminish product quality.  Ultraviolet (UV) technology has been around for several decades and is a safe, energy-efficient, and inexpensive alternative to heat treatment. Food and beverage […]

Heat exchangers, kettles, and similar heating methods require a lot of energy, maintenance, and space. They can also make it difficult to control processing conditions and temperatures, resulting in loss of product quality and risking food safety. To learn about an alternative heating method known as steam injection technology, we interviewed Brad Wimmer, who is […]

Packaging says a lot about the product inside. It’s likely the first thing consumers notice when browsing the shelves or shopping online, and it can influence their decision to buy. But even as environmentally-friendly packaging gains more interest among consumers, the package still has to do its most important job — safeguarding the product and […]

The old way of designing food processing and packaging equipment was for OEMs to take the reins, designing and testing the equipment in-house without involving customers in the process. But the old way doesn’t work anymore. Processors face a growing list of challenges — food safety concerns and employee turnover, to name just a few. […]

The food industry continues to struggle to attract new employees, retain current ones, and close skills gaps. With a healthy economy, there are plenty of jobs available in other fields and not nearly as much interest in manufacturing jobs as there was in the past.  These workforce issues have driven food processors and manufacturers to […]

Regardless of advancements in technology, food companies still rely on relationships with outside experts to diagnose and respond to production problems. Having partners they can trust also boosts their confidence when exploring new ventures and testing out ideas. “No matter how much automation you’ve created and invested in, at the end of the day, you’re […]

Facing obstacles ranging from labor shortages in the trucking industry to limited warehouse space, food manufacturers are increasingly turning to warehousing partners like Interstate Cold Storage to help them not just store products, but also fulfill orders. “Logistics are the biggest challenge for our customers,” says Nick Burnham, General Manager of Interstate’s warehouses in Fort […]

Food Industry Executive spoke with members of the Food Processing Suppliers Association’s (FPSA) Young Professionals Group about the challenges and opportunities they see in the food industry today and in the future. This interview is with Nicole Chestnut, the customer service manager and safety director at Rome Grinding Solutions, a company that manufactures grinding equipment for the meat, […]

Planning a construction project in the food industry is an intricate undertaking, especially for companies with older facilities, systems, and infrastructure. We spoke with Tom Wiersma, Director of Marketing and Business Development at C2AE Architecture & Engineering, to learn about some of the developments that are simplifying and speeding up these projects. With about 130 […]

Manual lot tracing makes it challenging to manage inventory effectively. Numbers are prone to misreading or incorrect recording, resulting in traceability issues down the line. And if a plant is subject to a recall or food safety audit, it can be tedious and time-consuming to hunt down handwritten information that may or may not be […]