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

The nano factory is a fully-functioning, mini production line that fits entirely into a 40-foot shipping container.

Unilever Engineers Fit a Factory Into a 40-foot Container

The ‘nano factory’ enables flexibility and agility in production capability, particularly in terms of testing new products and responding quickly to changes in consumer demand.

Expressed Juice's Landfill-Biodegradable Bottles Withstand HPP Pressure

Florida-based premium juice distributor finds the perfect mix of technology and shelf appeal with its biodegradable bottles.

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COVID Trickle-Down Tied to Potential Corrugated Shortage

The pandemic has pushed e-commerce into overdrive, boosting the demand for corrugated shipping boxes while also slowing down recycling efforts and supply chains, creating a potential problem (or a great opportunity) for the corrugated industry.

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Bumble Bee CEO One-Minute Video: How To Communicate Through Crisis

Jan Tharp, CEO of Bumble Bee Seafood, has navigated turbulent waters. Recently, Jan sat down with OEM's Stephanie Neil during PACK EXPO Connects to discuss her journey to the top of this revamped CPG. Watch this 'Management Minute' with Jan.

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Duravant Launches nVenia, a Duravant Operating Company

Duravant launches nVenia, LLC, a new operating company within its Packaging Solutions Segment formed by combining Arpac, Hamer-Fischbein, and Ohlson into a single entity.

The recipe to reduce microbes.

The recipe to reduce microbes.

Meet the Synexis® BioDefense System, the pioneering technology that attacks viruses, bacteria, mold, odors, and insects in the air and on surfaces. Learn More.

Rhino Foods’ frozen chocolate-chip cookie dough pellets—shown tumbling from a Messer Wave Freezer, ready for packing—add texture and flavor to ice creams.

Wave Freezer Boosts Cookie Dough Production

For production of the frozen cookie dough bits that appear in ice creams, Rhino Foods has found a cryogenic freezer that provides good vibrations for their sweet sensations.

ProMach Acquires Bartelt

The transaction will expand the company’s portfolio of solutions in pouch packaging, cartoning, and shrink packaging.

Mason Balster, environmental engineering major at the University of Minnesota, interned with Schell’s and found solutions to decrease the company’s wastewater surcharges.

MnTAP Identifies Sustainability Improvements for August Schell Brewing Co.

Intern program provides brewery with solutions to reduce wastewater and improve recycling efforts.

Mars Petcare Expanding Manufacturing Facility

The project will enable the company to serve the growing needs of pets and pet owners.

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Eliminating Preservatives With Cold Pressure

All bacteria isn't bad bacteria and sometimes food additives can literally take guts.

The recipe to reduce microbes.

The recipe to reduce microbes.

Meet the Synexis® BioDefense System, the pioneering technology that attacks viruses, bacteria, mold, odors, and insects in the air and on surfaces. Learn More.

Barilla Buys Fresh Pasta Delivery Startup

Barilla is dipping its toe into the home delivery sector with the acquisition of the UK company.

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Food Processing Sustainability Practices

How food processors are tackling sustainable operations. Watch this six-minute video with Bill Gill at Smithfield Foods as he chats with Joyce Fassl of ProFood World about Smithfield's 20-year, award-winning journey to sustainability.

Pepsi Co Sustainability

PepsiCo Pledges Net-Zero Emissions by 2040

The company is moving to build a more resilient, sustainable food system, while reducing its absolute GHG emissions worldwide.

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Doggie Desserts: New Ben & Jerry’s Line

Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s enters the fast-growing pet food market

Utz Buying Vitner’s Brand

The transaction complements the company’s strategy of expanding in major metro areas and will secure a foothold for Utz in the Midwest and Chicago.

Maple Leaf Foods Expanding Plant Protein Capacity

The move promotes the company’s strategy to support its high-growth plant protein business through the effective deployment of capital.

Tippmann Innovation Sierra Cold Storage Facility

Tippmann Innovation Breaks Ground New Cold Storage Facility

The project reflects the company’s continued growth in the cold storage development sector.

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The Food Safety Modernization Act: Today and Tomorrow

A recent article by Frank Yiannas, FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response, provides insights on the agency’s progress and what happens next.

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MnTAP’s full-time technical staff provides 1-on-1 assistance to a broad range of industries.

MnTAP Provides Sustainable and Cost-saving Solutions

The intern program teams with Minnesota companies to reduce their environmental footprints.

A case study in the index also reports an escalated interest in trends for health products, such as immunity-boosting foods and drinks.

COVID-19 and the Consumer Landscape

Consumer priorities switch from the environment and general health-related issues to the pandemic, economic concerns, and food safety.

Mondelēz International Acquires Well-being Snacking Company

The purchase provides Mondelēz further growth opportunities in chocolate, cross-category potential in crackers, and opportunities to expand its distribution.

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Traceability and Challenges in Perishable Food and E-commerce

Serialization, logistics for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, and how food is starting to feel a lot more like pharma regarding regulatory hurdles and temperature control.

The 2020 Index concludes that on-package information is a good medium for brands to get their transparency message across.

Transparency Is the Key to Consumer Trust

Blockchain technology, connected packaging, and other innovations use the packaging to build consumer trust.

UHT products—especially broth, milk, dairy alternatives, juice, and petfood—are seeing large success in e-commerce.

UHT, Connected Packaging, and Other Food Safety Technologies of the Future

UHT products see growing success in e-commerce; manufacturers continue to improve food safety.

McCormick Acquires FONA International

With the purchase, McCormick will accelerate its flavor platform in the Americas and strengthen its position in clean and natural flavors.

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Danone North America Regenerative Agriculture Program Helps Mitigate Climate Change

The company shares the 3-year achievements and impacts of its multi-year, multi-million dollar soil health research program.

“Food waste accounts for around 8% of total global GHG emissions. To put it another way, if food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter of emissions.”

Solutions to Decrease Food Waste on the Consumer Level

Study shows that better labeling practices and innovative packaging to increase shelf life could minimize food waste.

Hormel Foods Opens New Production Facility

The Papillion Foods facility will make salami and dry sausage products under the Columbus Craft Meats brand, as well as the Hormel brand.

Alexander Kanaris, president of VDG (Van Der Graaf) U.S. and Canada

The Beat of a Different Drum Motor

The drum motor has all drive components—electric motor, gear reducer, bearings—housed inside the drum, providing a safer, more sanitary design, and is capable of communicating with central plant control or other plant equipment.

COVID-19 has put new demands on sanitation procedures.

Challenges Amid a Pandemic

COVID-19 is changing the way food and beverage manufacturers manage their cleaning processes and products, accounting for social distancing and increased sanitation requirements.