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Industry News

Ashworth Bros. announces line of plastic spiral belts

Plastic belts improve air circulation for shorter dwell times

Casey Laughman

June 3, 2019

Ashworth Bros. has announced SpiralPlast, a new line of plastic, low-tension spiral belts.

Plant Construction Survey

Food Engineering's 2019 Plant Construction Survey shows tax cuts spur investment

Federal tax cuts have encouraged upgrades to existing food plants and construction of new plants, but finding qualified labor remains a sticking point

Wayne Labs

June 1, 2019

Food Engineering's annual construction survey shows that tax cuts have encouraged construction and renovations, but the labor shortage is affecting those projects as well.

Consumer demands, regulatory requirements shape pet food processing trends

Sharon Spielman

May 31, 2019

Pet food follows broader human food trends because it must appeal to pet owners who buy it, and these consumers are now expecting the same high standards for their animals' food as their own: convenience, quality, authenticity and transparency.

Sustainability

Smithfield Foods announces zero waste to landfill initiative

Release of 2018 sustainability report shows a strengthened commitment to environmental sustainability with certification of 35 of its facilities as zero solid waste

Wayne Labs

May 28, 2019

With the release of its 2018 Sustainability Report, Smithfield Foods announced the company’s commitment to reduce overall solid waste sent to landfills 75% by 2025. This includes certifying at least 35 of its U.S. facilities, or three-quarters of its domestic facilities, as zero-waste-to-landfill by 2025.

Site Selection

Prioritizing criteria to select a new food/beverage plant site

Casey Laughman

May 24, 2019

Choosing a site for a new food or beverage plant is a complicated process, with a number of factors to evaluate and prioritize. Like a jigsaw puzzle, it's easier to start small and consider individual pieces before trying to put them all together.

Food Safety

Is your facility food safe and defensible?

With FSMA a done deal for food & beverage processors, compliance is more important than ever

Wayne Labs

May 22, 2019

Unless your facility is a USDA shop, then it most likely falls under FSMA regulations, which for the vast majority of processors is the law of the land. If you haven’t yet been visited by FDA for an audit, it is past time to get ready for that inevitable moment. I asked Ib Elandaloussi (CAL), Food and Consumer Products Group with Burns and McDonnell to talk briefly about designing facility solutions to meet FSMA rules.

Inspecto's portable contaminant detector

Engineering R&D

Test for chemical contaminants on the spot

Wayne Labs

May 22, 2019

A new, portable contaminant detector—now in trials by food processors and supply chain participants—promises to make testing for unwanted chemical constituents much faster and easier, truly "on the spot."

Workforce

Worker shortage has processors scrambling to hire and keep good employees

Rose Shilling

May 22, 2019

U.S. manufacturing is in the thick of an expected shortage of 2 million workers over 2015–2025. Talent is the top challenge among the evolving concerns of global executives.

Worker Safety

OSHA requests information on possible updates to the lockout/tagout standard

The 1989 standard needs to updated to reflect the current use of automation and robotics equipment

Wayne Labs

May 20, 2019

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is requesting information on a possible update to the Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)) standard. The Agency is interested in comments on the use of control circuit-type devices to isolate energy, as well as the evolving technology for robotics.

Processors must soon comply with FSMA's rule to try to stop intentional adulteration

Sharon Spielman

May 20, 2019

Under the Intentional Adulteration rule, domestic and foreign food facilities are required to complete and maintain a written food defense plan that assesses their potential vulnerabilities to deliberate contamination where the intent is to cause wide-scale public health harm.