2018 Sustainability Excellence in Manufacturing Award, First Place Program Category: Smithfield Packaged Meats

Simple, cost-effective adjustments to smoker equipment prevents excessive liquid smoke loss. The company was losing 38 gallons of liquid smoke per day on its hot dog line, causing increased wastewater treatment surcharges. Now, a new blower system with air knives blows the excess liquid smoke off the baskets holding the hotdogs into a smoker holding tank. By making this simple change, Smithfield’s Kevan McCance explains how the plant saved close to $130,000 in a year by capturing the excess liquid smoke.

Aug 28th, 2019

Pandemic-Driven Changes in Food and Beverage Plant Design

Food and beverage producers don’t see COVID-19 as a one-time event. As they actively prepare for the next global pandemic, they’re looking at the changes they need to make in plant design. Find out about their new ideas in this Take Five video.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition Planning New Factory in Kansas

The facility will help the company meet its mission of enriching and lengthening the special relationships between people and their pets by providing high-quality nutrition.

The most important strategy to make packaging more sustainable is to reduce the amount of plastic.

Beverage Manufacturers Respond to Consumer Trends on Plastic Packaging

Plastic has become an issue for consumers, particularly related to plastic waste in the environment. This directly impacts the beverage industry, which is made up of 45% rigid plastic packaging, only 25% of which ends up being recycled in the US.

Mondelēz Brand Launching Recycling Program

A new partnership with TerraCycle, an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste, will allow consumers to enjoy SWEDISH FISH candy and recycle the packaging for free.

Wholestone Farms Building Sioux Falls Facility

The farmer-owned pork processor is set to invest over $500 million in a new state-of-the-art pork harvest and processing facility.

Post welcomed an MnTAP intern, who compared different options for boiler system operation and replacement, as well as on-site electricity production options.

Post Consumer Brands Gains Efficiency Through Boiler Optimization

The company utilized the MnTAP internship program to reduce energy consumption and increase self-sufficiency.

Kraft Heinz Acquisition

Kraft Heinz Announces Agreement to Purchase Assan Foods

The acquisition of the Turkish company aligns with Kraft Heinz’s international growth strategy and offers the opportunity to build its retail and foodservice business across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Perdue Stewardship Report Fy21

Perdue Farms Releases FY2021 Company Stewardship Report

The report highlights Perdue’s successes in achieving its environmental sustainability goals and being good stewards of the environment

Joyce Fassl Photo (1)

In Good Times and Bad, Partnership Spells Success

The importance of partnership and teamwork has accelerated over the past decade and also shown its necessity to overcome the food industry’s challenges.

With about 80 cranberry bogs, Canneberges Bécancour processes about a half million pounds of cranberries per day during a typical harvest.

CO2 Refrigeration Helps Cranberry Processor Overcome Logistics Challenges

Developing a freezing facility to support its original processing plant, Canneberges Bécancour needed something that was energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and easy to operate. The grower found it food retail.

Tyson Foods Targets 2050 to Achieve Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The move to net zero is an expansion of the company’s current science-based target of achieving a 30% GHG emissions reduction by 2030, which is aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 2 ℃.

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Beverage Suppliers Facing Post-COVID Challenges and Opportunities

Consumer demand is pushing SKU expansion and innovative new product opportunities for beverage manufacturers, but supply chain disruption has also created challenges.

McCain Global Sustainability Report Reveals Progress and New Commitments

Regenerative agriculture promised by the company will restore and protect soil health and quality and use natural processes to control pests, prevent plant disease, and strengthen crops against severe weather events.

Flowers Foods Buys Koffee Kup Bakery Assets

The acquisition from the court-appointed receiver of the assets gives Flowers Foods both brands and production capacity in the Northeast, a key growth market for the company as it moves forward.

While most agree we won’t be returning to normal as we have known it, they also agree there will be a continual need for discipline and repeatability in manufacturing in the new normal world as well.

Coronavirus’s Impact, Learnings, and the Value of Discipline

Prior to the pandemic, manufacturers spent most of their time optimizing assets and processes. When the crisis struck, the industry was forced to reinvent day-to-day activities. Refocusing on people is the key to being prepared for future uncertain times.

In many food plants, workers are in close proximity, causing concerns for spreading contagions.

Pushing Change to Keep Workers Safe, Plants Running

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted food and beverage manufacturers to implement several new safety measures along with cutting-edge technologies geared toward maintaining production in a booming market. As we move forward, which changes will take root?

Smithfield Foods Expands Sustainability Program

A new report reveals the company is building on its carbon reduction efforts and details Smithfield’s ongoing commitment to growth in areas critical to responsible food production.

At MWC, Fanuc robots are used to place the packaged 40-lb blocks of cheese onto pallets before they go through a stretch wrapper and are taken to the warehouse.

MWC’s Robot Configurations Provide Flexibility

Robotics come into play in the cheesemaker's palletizing operations. But for the most part, that level of complexity isn't needed in a facility producing such consistent product types and sizes. What's needed more is simplified automation.

At Proliant Dairy Ingredients’ new facility in St. Johns, Mich., a pipe bridge conveys liquid milk permeate and whey permeate from the adjacent MWC plant for producing dry ingredients for feed and food applications. Photo by Thomas Kirby

Bridging the Gap for Whey Permeate

Proliant Dairy Ingredients receives whey permeate from MWC’s concentrate process via a pipe bridge, where it is dried on the world’s largest permeate dryer of its kind. The collaboration provides environmental savings and maximum return for both.

There are some common challenges when launching a new food or beverage product.

Accelerating Speed to Market for New Food and Beverage Product Ideas

There are some common challenges when moving a new food or beverage product from idea to reality, and some considerations such as packaging and sustainability that are an integral part of the process.

More in Home

FDA Marking World Food Safety Day

The global event aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks to contribute to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, and market access.

Post Holdings Buys Ready-to-Eat Cereal Business from TreeHouse Foods

The acquisition includes two facilities that feature a wide range of production capabilities across batch and extruded products, a research and development facility, and inventory valued at approximately $30 million.

Advanced Manufacturing Emphasized at Powder Show Digital Flow | COVID-19 Shifts Consumer Trends

Take Five Video: International Powder & Bulk Solids Conference is making an in-person return, but live virtual content remains. Also, Tetra Pak’s research suggests consumers are still expecting manufacturers to meet environmental demands despite COVID-19.

Hershey Sustainability Report 2021

Hershey Releases 2020 Sustainability Report

Key progress detailed in the report includes making a positive impact, investing in sustainable cocoa sourcing, setting new science-based targets, and advancing diversity equity and inclusion.

David Newcorn Named Executive Vice President of PMMI Media Group

PMMI Media Group’s Senior VP, Digital & Data is tapped for a new leadership role at the Chicago based B2B company.

The Ignition SCADA system provides alarms for MWC operators, and also provides layers of data capabilities for track and trace, OEE, and more.

Cheesemaker Harvests the Data Cream of the Crop

The MWC cheese and whey facility, ProFood World's 2021 Manufacturing Innovation Award winner, continues to layer on SCADA functionality to get more information from the data it gathers.

Most beverage sales are coming from Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe.

Beverage Trends Driving Change in 2021

Changing consumer demands mean beverage manufacturers have to adjust their offerings to satisfy the desire for functional, healthy beverages, while also offering sustainable or convenience packaging.

Cargill Building Palm Oil Refinery in Indonesia

The plant in Lampung will help Cargill meet the growing demand for sustainable, traceable edible palm oil; fully integrate Cargill’s palm supply chain; and ensure sustainable product volumes for future growth.

Conagra Brands Celebrates Employee-led Sustainable Development Awards Program

Employee sustainability initiatives decrease the company’s carbon footprint, conserve water, reduce waste, and minimize material waste, generating nearly $25 million in company savings.

Donnie King, Tyson Foods president and CEO

Tyson Foods Names Donnie King as President and CEO

King is assuming leadership immediately, following President and CEO Dean Banks’ resignation for personal reasons, following an 8-month tenure.

FDA Launches Challenge to Spur Development of Affordable Traceability Tools

The challenge is part of the agency’s broader food safety efforts to help protect people and animals from contaminated foods by enabling the rapid identification of their sources and helping remove them from the marketplace.

Mars Partners with Microsoft for its Global Digital Transformation

The plan includes a “cloud-first” strategy, leveraging AI, IoT, and digital twins across its businesses, focusing on intelligent supply chains, and delivering hyper-relevant consumer experiences.