Food For Thought

Zane Adams is co-founder and executive vice president of strategy and development for FedUp Foods, one of the biggest private-label manufacturers of functional beverages in North America. Adams joins the Food For Thought podcast to discuss what is driving the private-label business today — and how economic conditions should continue to drive it in the future. He also digs into consumer trends and...

The Food For Thought podcast checks in with Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief advisor in consumer goods and foodservice insights for Circana , for a mid-year update on how the food and beverage industry has fared through the first half of the year. In this episode, Lyons Wyatt shares insights on inflation and how consumers are spending differently at this point in 2024....

Sarah Gallo, vice president of Product Policy at the Consumer Brands Association , discusses the increasing activity around state legislatures attempting to flex their muscle and ban or restrict food additives in recent years. Gallo shares her thoughts on how processors can navigate their way through the highly charged political atmosphere while defending the science that has been done to prove th...

Food safety remains one of the issues that keeps food and beverage processors up at night, and many experts in the field will suggest that, by building a strong food safety culture, processors can drive successful implementation and execution of their food safety strategies across all operations. Sharon Beals, current owner of SKKB LLC and former food safety leader for several food processors and...

In this bonus audio, Food Processing senior editor Andy Hanacek asks what has various federal agencies particularly concerned about the most recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) during a Town Hall panel at the Food Safety Summit in Rosemont, Ill. To read the news article summarizing the Town Hall takeaways, visit www.foodprocessing.com .

Food Processing editor-in-chief Dave Fusaro stops by the studios to discuss his trip to Natural Products Expo West. Fusaro is a veteran attendee of the show, and he’ll recount the sights — and tastes — that caught his eye while in Anaheim this spring. From mushroom-based products to tinned fish, Fusaro discusses a variety of products exhibitors had on display — and don't forget the 'turducken of c...

Today’s episode is sponsored by Loadsmart In this episode, George Swartz, vice president of sales for Loadsmart’s Transportation Solutions Group, talks about the logistics challenges that food and beverage processors face currently, as well as the trends leading operations into the future. Swartz also offers his viewpoints on how the industry can manage its carbon footprint and reach its sustainab...

In this episode of the Food For Thought podcast, Andy Hanacek, senior editor of Food Processing, joins the editors of several brands in the Endeavor Business Media family, of which Food Processing is a member, to discuss what the outcome of the upcoming presidential election could mean for the various segments of the manufacturing industry they cover. The video was hosted by Industry Week and publ...

Having recently retired from her role as chief strategy and brand officer for Bon Appetit Management Co., Maisie Ganzler still has a special place in her heart for helping the food and beverage industry reach its sustainability potential. Ganzler remains a strategic advisor for Bon Appetit , but she also has published a book titled, “You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime, and Other Lessons from the...

Amanda Buonopane, senior manager of strategic insights for Rich Products , says social gatherings are in flux, and Rich’s sees consumer preferences shifting accordingly. In this episode of the podcast, Buonopane shares the research Rich’s has gathered around the eating occasions that come with social gatherings today, and also shares some of the analysis that the team has done around those finding...

Brett Erickson, director of Prepared and Packaged Solutions for Certified Angus Beef , discusses how value-added product trends are driving changes for consumers, foodservice operators and processors — and how innovation is helping to push the envelope further. Additionally, Erickson offers his insights into how CAB and the industry can adjust to consumer demand in response to inflation and higher...

Eric Mittenthal, chief strategy officer for the North American Meat Institute , joined me during last month’s International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta. We discussed the Institute’s Protein PACT initiative, its success thus far and goals moving forward, as well as what any segment of the food industry can learn from how Protein PACT has brought together processors.

Food Processing attended the International Production & Processing Expo, or IPPE, in Atlanta, and participated in a news conference with Alexis Taylor, under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs at USDA. With the small group of journalists in attendance, under secretary Taylor offered her thoughts on the export markets currently, and also addressed two questions from FP senior...

Cindy Wu, vice president of marketing for Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Food , joins us for this episode of the Food For Thought podcast. In today’s episode, she and Andy Hanacek discuss the growth in popularity of Indian cuisine and how Sukhi’s is doing its part to help build growth in those flavors and styles in the U.S. In addition, Wu offers her insights into how processors of frozen and refrigerated...

Trisha McRoberts, corporate vice president and chief procurement officer for Golden State Foods, joins us for this episode of the Food For Thought podcast to share her insights on sustainable sourcing and packaging. Where does the industry stand after years of innovation and advancement, what is holding North American consumers and companies back, and what are some of Golden State Foods’ success s...

In our latest cover story, we profiled the rise of JBS USA from its creation in 2007 through parent company JBS S.A.'s acquisition of Swift & Co., to today's successes, leading to the company being named Food Processing's 2023 Processor of the Year. Senior editor Andy Hanacek dictates the story, which was written for our November/December 2023 print magazine by editor-in-chief Dave Fusaro. Rea...

In this episode, Andy Hanacek, senior editor of Food Processing, reads his cover story feature from the October 2023 issue, detailing the successful sustainability initiatives of Hormel Foods' Fontanini Foods plant in McCook, Ill., in case you missed it or would rather listen to it. Article Written By: Andy Hanacek Read By: Andy Hanacek  Read the article on our Web site View Webinar with Hormel an...

This episode is the second in a two-part series sponsored by RSM. Listen to Part 1 here . When it comes to innovative technology, today is a great time be in the food and beverage processing industry, as it wrestles with the future: a future driven by automation, the digital and data revolution, artificial intelligence and augmented reality. In today’s Food For Thought episode, which is the second...

It has been nearly 20 years since the Enivronmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated the effluent limitation guidelines for meat and poultry processing plants, and the agency is now quietly taking steps to make a proposal on new standards. Chris Young, executive director for the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP), joins the Food For Thought podcast this week to talk through the proc...

This episode is the first in a two-part series sponsored by RSM. Listen to Part 2 here . Creating resiliency throughout a food and beverage business has been a target of many companies in the industry, and technology today can help them attain their goals in many instances. In today’s Food For Thought episode, which is the first of a two-part series brought to you by R S M, Christian Winzeler, pri...

Stephanie Powell, director of marketing for Alpha Baking Co., discusses the results of a survey Alpha Baking commissioned to determine how consumers construct sandwiches using their Thanksgiving leftovers. From their choice of bread type and whether they use turkey or ham, to pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes — plus a few non-leftover "must haves" — the choices consumers make are interesting! At the...

This episode is sponsored by IDS Imaging Development Systems. Artificial intelligence is here, and food and beverage processors, as well as manufacturing at large, would be best served to take notice and get moving, or they might miss out on the benefits that AI and machine learning can bring. Philip Freidin, an applications engineer at IDS Imaging Development Systems, joins us in this episode to...

As the 2023 calendar year winds down, the protein industry sits in an interesting position. Each segment of the industry — whether conventional animal protein, plant-based, alternative and cultivated animal products — stands at a different point in its evolution, and the short-term future is certainly intriguing for all. We sat down with Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, a CEO, independent board director an...

When Tyson Foods announced a partnership with insect ingredients company Protix in mid-October, it made significant headlines and raised a positively curious eyebrow or two, at least among consumers. And although Tyson’s initial plan focuses on insect protein as a feed and pet food ingredient, we wanted to discuss the idea of insects as a food source both today and in the future. Alexandra Kazaks,...

To be successful in the food and beverage processing world, processors must keep up with the ever-increasing pace of innovation in operations. Plant and equipment design standards are always on the move, and we spoke with Paul Krechel, vice president of Sales, Service and Parts for Deville Technologies to get his take on how collaboration between processors and vendors can help the industry keep u...