Through the Line: Packaging and Processing

What are the best ways food and beverage manufacturers can improve workforce engagement on the frontlines? Prioritizing recruitment and onboarding are paramount when it comes to workforce engagement. Closing the skills gaps is important. Providing the right training programs are necessary. Even implementing emerging technologies like AI can make an impact. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the...

How does Danone balance sustainability goals with operational needs like food safety, shelf life, and manufacturing performance? Paul Jenkins, Managing Director of ThePackHub, and Kory Nook, VP of Packaging Innovation and R&D at Danone, sit down to discuss how Danone is balancing recyclability, product performance, and consumer experience. Read the featured article on Packaging World .

How are pharmaceutical logistics evolving to meet ultra-low and cryogenic temperature demands? Advanced and personalized therapies are pushing the industry beyond traditional cold chain methods toward safer phase change materials and direct-to-consumer capabilities. To ensure sustainability, transparency, and patient safety, companies are adopting recyclable packaging, reusable shipping solutions,...

What makes data useful? Smart data use isn’t about having the biggest system—it’s about having a mindset that prioritizes relevance, actionability, and consistency. And in today’s climate of tighter budgets and leaner teams, that mindset is more valuable than ever. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World .

How has CPG's tone on sustainability shifted in 2026? Editors Anne Marie Mohan and Matt Reynolds sit down to discuss how paper continued to dominate, the rapid rise of recyclable monomaterial plastics, and how expanding extended producer responsibility (EPR) frameworks are redefining packaging strategies in 2026. Read the full annual outlook report on Packaging World .

How are cell therapy manufacturers navigating pharmaceutical labeling? As therapies become increasingly personalized and global regulatory requirements evolve, the role of packaging and labeling teams has expanded far beyond simple content placement. For cell therapy manufacturers such as Kite Pharma, where every product is made for a single patient, labeling becomes a critical safety and traceabi...

What does the process of modernization from bare structure to an advanced and flexible prepared-protein plant look like? Editors Derrick Teal and Casey Flanagan sit down to discuss a recent visit to Stampede's New Mexico plant. Teal talks about how the facility was engineered for both food safety and operational efficiency. The team began by dividing the plant into separate raw and cooked zon...

How can brands help advance circularity for film and flexible packaging? Senior Editor, Anne Marie Mohan, sits down with U.S. Plastics Pact Interim Executive Director Crystal Bayliss at the 2026 Plastics Recycling Conference. They discuss how the Pact’s new framework aims to align design, collection, and end-market demand and why brand action will be critical to scaling flexible film circularity....

How does package design correlate to consistency in consumption of supplements? Biologica, a women’s health company, has launched with a suite of stage-specific daily essentials packed in recyclable tins. Each tin is designed to be displayed, featuring a unique Greco/Roman-inspired relief for each hormonal stage. Inside the artistic tins are 30 single-serve powder sachets, which are made from paper...

What is the best way to work through infrastructure challenges when building new or enhancing and existing plant? Before building, installing, or enhancing a food processing plant, it’s important to identify and understand the challenges that lie within meeting regulations. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World .

What are CPGs prioritizing in E-commerce and D2C packaging in 2026? Editors Anne Marie Mohan and Matt Reynolds sit down to discuss why protection still dominates D2C packaging decisions in 2026, while SIOC/SIPP gains traction. Brands split between channel-specific and omnichannel packs, sell through multiple platforms, and juggle carrier reality with sustainability pressure. Read the full annual o...

When less than 1% of hospital waste is recycled, what are the odds of integrating a recycling system without disrupting workflow? Zuyderland Medical Center in The Netherlands  collaborated with SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, to help transform medical plastic waste into new contact sensitive packaging materials. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on He...

What are the best strategies to avoid food recalls and maintain customer trust? The toll of a food safety failure extends far beyond the initial problem. Whether it brings costs associated with food waste, production delays, regulatory consequences, or loss of consumer trust, suffice to say a recall is best avoided. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World .

How is AI transforming the ways CPGs can explore ideas, refine concepts, and build confidence before production? Virtual prototypes, e-commerce mockups, and rapid A/B tests now let brands gauge demand in days, not months. It's transforming how teams design, validate, and launch new products and packaging. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Packaging World .

What does sustainable processing and packaging look like in plant-based first aid? Editor-in-Chief, Liz Cuneo, sits down with the founder of Green Goo, Jodi Scott. The company stands at the forefront of sustainable healthcare and personal care, proving that natural, effective, and FDA-compliant formulations can coexist. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging .

What does plant resilience look like in a modern environment? In the past, many plants thrived on consistency. Stable schedules, long production runs, minimal product changeovers—all hallmarks of efficiency. But modern manufacturing doesn’t live in that world anymore. The winning plants are the ones that adapt fast, smart, and often quietly behind the scenes. This is an AI-generated episode. Read...

How can a packaging change influence trends in customer appeal and sustainability? McCormick's Old Bay, and newer clean-label players, are bringing spices back to printed tin, pairing shelf impact and vintage charm with potential sustainability upside as EPR pressures grow. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Packaging World .

What are some of the biggest insights from a packaging engineer with three years' experience?  Editor-in-Chief, Liz Cuneo, sits down with Evergen Packaging Engineer Ashim Moona. He shares two aspects of sustainability, the importance of learning the standards, and how “burnout” can actually be a good thing. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging .

How are food manufacturers leveraging real-time KPIs and digital investments to enhance manufacturing metrics and overall operational efficiency? Lightweight system solutions are creating flexibility for plant managers to set relevant KPIs and expand the workforce. Midsize companies see lightweight solutions as a good first step for KPIs that collect safety, quality, delivery, and cost metrics, or...

What were some of the leading trends and highlights of the Pack EXPO East show floor? Listen in as editors Sean Riley, Liz Cuneo, and Matt Reynolds discuss how sustainability, Sunrise 2027, and AI showed up on the show floor. Find more show coverage on Packaging World .

How do you motivate kids to brush their teeth? Editor-in-Chief, Liz Cuneo, sits down with Jordan Diatlo and Zach Gelber to discuss customizable toothbrush brand, Babsy. The toothbrush packaging channels an arts-and-crafts aesthetic, made to look like a creative kit rather than a sterile healthcare product. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging .

What new laws and regulations should food processors be aware of for the new year? With the turn of the calendar to 2026, new laws and regulations are on the horizon.  Stricter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, and FSMA Rule 204 (Food Traceability Rule) are among some of the changes. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the...

How do new dietary guidelines break away from recent advice? Packaging World Editor-in-Chief, Matt Reynolds, sits down with legal columnist Eric Greenberg. They discuss how the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines revive older principles and raise scientific questions—reshaping food labeling, formulation, and product innovation across the industry. Read the full featured article on Packaging World .

How does custom med device design impact speed? Listen in to hear how a partnership in prosthetics manufacturing is utilizing digital methods to improve speed to market for medical devices. The episode highlights the collaboration between Paralympian Mike Schultz's company, BioDApt, and Protolabs, a rapid manufacturing service, to quickly produce highly specialized, custom-machined aluminum c...

What were the markers of 2025 and what does 2026 hold in store? Uncertainty was a driving force of 2025. Tariffs and AI gave many companies pause. Listen in to hear what ProFood World Editor-in-Chief, Derrick Teal, predicts will define 2026. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World .