From the Cold Corner

Caulipower’s Founder & CEO, Gail Becker, joins Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa to discuss the company’s recent packaging redesign, the R&D process for bringing Caulipower products to market, how the company is faring with current supply chain issues, Caulipower’s community outreach as part of its sustainability strategy, and what really constitutes “better-for-you” cold foods in stores today...

Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa sits down with Peter Bartzis and Liz Vanderhoef from Devanco Foods—which placed first in our 2021 Best New Frozen Retail Products Contest—to discuss the company’s winning No-MSG Chicken Gyros Kits, as well as their overall retail sales growth (150% year-over-year), sustainability goals, new product launches, family focused company culture, and distribution strategies...

If ever there was a beverage made for the cold chain, it would be kombucha. The fermented, nutrient-dense drink—which can be created in alcohol and non-alcohol versions—is a living product in need of stable temperatures throughout its journey to store shelves. One of the leading brands in the fast-growing kombucha category is Vermont-based Aqua ViTea. Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa caught up with A...

Lauren Edmonds, newly elected president of the Refrigerated Foods Association (RFA) joins Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa to discuss the RFA’s plans for the coming year, plus how the pandemic is still affecting the refrigerated foods industry through price hikes and shortages on ingredients, a shrinking labor pool, and more. They also discuss Edmonds’ company, St. Clair Foods, and their move to an a...

Mario DiFalco, VP of innovation and insights at Del Monte Foods, joins the Cold Corner with Austin Keating, multimedia specialist for Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, to discuss the brand’s Veggieful line of frozen foods, and in particular, their award-winning plant-based Pocket Pies.

Jeff Rumachik from the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) joins the Cold Corner again with Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa to analyze the industry’s record year for frozen food sales due to the pandemic and housebound consumers. This coincides with Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ annual Top 150 Frozen Foods Processors Report, which was just published and can be found under...

Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa checks in with Pablo Rivero, Fresh Del Monte’s VP of marketing for North America, about the company’s new produce processing plant in Gonzales, California, operated by Del Monte subsidiary, Mann Packing, and the sustainable initiatives incorporated in and around the facility. They also discuss Fresh Del Monte’s plans for the rest of 2021. 

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa checks in Ryan Riddle, Senior R&D Specialist for Plant-Based Meal Solutions at Nestlé, about the company's Sweet Earth brand, which helped Nestlé grow its plant-based sales by nearly 40% this year. They also discuss why frozen and refrigerated plant-based foods are so popular today, which consumer markets are key targets for plant-b...

The disruption caused by COVID-19 forced nearly every food distributor to rethink their supply chain. Derek Curtis of Körber examines four recent examples of how their clients adapted to the changes better than their competitors, and grew their market share as a result. Sponsored by:

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa talks with Vincent Free, chairman of the Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA) about how the organization helps bring together suppliers, sub-contractors, builders and more, to move the thermal envelope industry forward through education and networking. They also detail how trends in e-commerce and last-mile delivery are f...

Hear from JLS President/CEO Craig Souser about the latest pick and place innovations in the refrigerated/ frozen foods industries and how the new JLS Peregrine™   is sure to change the game of sanitary carton loading. Sponsored by:

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa sits down with Neil Russell, VP of corporate affairs at Sysco, to talk about the company's constantly evolving strategies to help foodservice customers pivot and survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also discuss how Sysco lent labor, inventory and truck capacity to grocery stores when the supply chain was thrown off balance due t...

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa discusses frozen foods' record retail sales and foodservice challenges due to COVID-19 with Alison Bodor, president and CEO of the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI). They also talk about AFFI’s efforts to protect workers along the cold chain during the crisis, changes in packaging to allow increased inventory and easier supply chai...

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa talks foodservice distribution and restaurant reopening after COVID-19’s complete disruption of the industry, with Jim Osborne, SVP of customer strategy and innovation at US Foods. Volume foodservice—restaurants, hotels, catering, schools, and more—accounts for approximately 1/3 of the food produced in the country. We also discuss US F...

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa discusses strategies for marketing and promoting cold foods amid the COVID-19 pandemic with Jeff Rumachik, EVP and COO of the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA). They also detail the NFRA’s 75th anniversary plans, and the unforeseen coronavirus challenges to scheduled events and awards in celebrating that miles...

Food Engineering magazine (a sister publication to Refrigerated & Frozen Foods) Editor-in-Chief Casey Laughman talks with Brian King, Owner and President of A M King, about how food processing and distribution operations are being severely impacted by COVID-19. Facilities are suspending operations to protect employees while the food chain is being jeopardized. Companies must develop new strate...

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa spoke with John Calloway, general industries marketing manager for Regal Beloit Corporation, about the company’s washdown motors for food processing, how the IoT (Internet of Things) is creating new efficiencies for motors, and also how Regal Beloit is pivoting its business strategy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa spoke with Josh Knott, president of the Refrigerated Foods Association (RFA) and also president of Knott’s Fine Foods in Tennessee, about why the health of those working along the cold chain is more important than ever, and how consumers are creating chaos through perceived shortages and stockpiling.

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa spoke with Dematic’s Tom Swovick about the future of cold storage and logistics through the lens of automation, and what solutions might be out there to help ease the strain on the cold chain from COVID-19 disruptions. Swovick also details Dematic’s virtual tradeshow plans while industry conventions are shut down.

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa spoke with Hiperbaric’s Roberto Peregrina about the latest trends in High Pressure Processing (HPP) and what the evolution of HPP might look like in the future. They also discussed COVID-19’s impact on Hiperbaric’s business, and what the company is doing instead of tradeshows to connect with F&B processors while travel is shut down...

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa interviewed Lowell Randel from the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) about the latest developments regarding COVID-19’s impact on the cold foods supply chain. Hear what on-the-fly adjustments the industry is making in response to crushing demand for retail refrigerated and frozen foods, plus the innovations that have been developed to...

PACK EXPO 2019: Packaging for Perishables Marina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, interviewed packaging experts on the show floor to discuss trends in packaging for produce and other perishables. Here we have Joe Albert, vice president of sales and marketing, global wrapping technology for Signode. More and more companies are getting into automated storage retrieval syste...

PACK EXPO 2019: Packaging for Perishables Marina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, interviewed packaging experts on the show floor to discuss trends in packaging for produce and other perishables. Here we have Bill Chastain, senior vice president of Harpak-ULMA. Branding, value-added and single-unit packaging are the driving forces behind the shift in packaging for produce...

PACK EXPO 2019: Packaging for Perishables Marina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, interviewed packaging experts on the show floor to discuss trends in packaging for produce and other perishables. Here we have Mike Wolf, R&D manager for Triangle Package Machinery. Sanitation is one of the biggest focuses of food safety within the produce industry. Find out how Triangle...

PACK EXPO 2019: Packaging for Perishables Marina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, interviewed packaging experts on the show floor to discuss trends in packaging for produce and other perishables. Here we have Jason Robertson, director, business development for CRB. Many of today’s produce processors are turning to design-build firms for a turnkey approach to projects. Fin...