Processing News Roundup 4/3: Coca-Cola’s Fairlife Expansion, MSU Students Support a Dairy Plant, and CPG Workforce Trends in 2026

Catch up on the latest in food and beverage processing with this quick news roundup, including Coca-Cola's expansion of a Michigan Fairlife facility, how MSU students helped a dairy processor solve instabilities, and how CPGs are changing strategies to hire and retain workers.

Transcript

Find out what's new in food and beverage processing with this quick roundup, presented by ProFood World's Casey Flanagan. Click the links below to learn more about each topic.

🗞️ Story One: The Coca-Cola Company expands a Michigan Fairlife facility.

🗞️ Story Two: Michigan State University students help a dairy processor solve instabilities.

🗞️ Story Three: How CPGs are shifting strategies to hire and retain workers.

Never miss the next news or insights in processing by subscribing to ProFood World's weekly newsletter.

Transcript

Hi, I’m Casey Flanagan with ProFood World, and here are three topics you won’t want to miss for this week.

First, Coca-Cola is investing $650 million to expand its Fairlife facility in Coopersville, Michigan. The expansion includes two new lines and adds 150 jobs at the site, and it supports growth in high-protein dairy beverages.

Next, Michigan dairy plant MWC struggled with wastewater treatment instability, so it worked with Michigan State University students to develop a solution. The collaboration continues to help the company optimize its operation.

And finally, I sat down with OEM Magazine’s Sean Riley to discuss how CPGs have shifted strategies to hire and train workers, based on findings from the 2026 Annual Outlook Report on the packaging workforce. The findings in this Packaging World report could help processors solve challenges in their own operations.

You can find each of these stories linked here or on ProFoodWorld.com. To make sure you’re always up to date on the latest processing news and insights, don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Thanks for watching.

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