PROCESS EXPO and International Dairy Show, scheduled for November 3-6, 2013 in Chicago will offer their largest-ever group of attendees real-world, practical solutions to a variety of plant production issues. With more than 700 exhibitors signed up for PROCESS EXPO and the co-located International Dairy Show, McCormick Place will be transformed into a center for networking and sharing best practices.

Manufacturing solutions for meat, poultry, seafood, bakery, dairy, beverage and prepared foods will be on display, with representatives from leading food science programs on hand to discuss the newest innovations in their fields. This year’s event also will feature an expanded prepared foods component, with presentations from multiple academic experts. 

New to PROCESS EXPO 2013 will be PROCESS EXPO University, a comprehensive educational component. Mini-courses focusing on safe food processing and packaging will be conducted by experts from the nation’s top food science programs. Attendance is free, and a Spanish-language track is available.

A 9:00 a.m. ribbon cutting ceremony on November 3 will kick off the event, to be followed by special events and PROCESS EXPO University offerings throughout the day. Sunday’s courses focus on topics including sterilization and pasteurization as well as GFSI certification. Sunday’s special events include a cooking demonstration from the Prepared Foods Council. The Meat Hall of Fame Reception and Induction Ceremony will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Drake Hotel.

On Monday, attendees will have a choice of sessions each hour from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with topics such as aseptic processing and packaging; labeling for the meat industry; managing preventive controls in potato operations; bio-based packaging materials; extrusion processing; and microbial modeling. Monday will also feature a meat cooking demonstration from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with members of the Meat Industry Suppliers Alliance. From 1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., a Save Food press conference will be held to call attention to the issue of global food waste.

From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, members of the Bakery Council will hold culinary demonstrations every two hours. On Tuesday afternoon, a Defeat Hunger press conference will highlight how exhibitors and the Great Chicago Food Depository have worked together to help address hunger in Cook County and Chicago. Between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., attendees will have a chance to learn more about a variety of important topics in a full array of PROCESS EXPO University offerings that includes validation of the chilling process; food allergen control strategies; wine processing; track and trace strategies; and much more.

On Wednesday, PROCESS EXPO University wraps up, with sessions from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on nutrition labeling, alternative curing systems and new processing technologies.

 This year’s International Dairy Show will be co-located with PROCESS EXPO, providing attendees a broad portfolio of events and perspective on new technologies. An ongoing education theater, dairy plant safety workshop, FDA Food Defense Awareness workshop and cooking demonstrations will highlight the program.