A year or so ago, if you asked a food and beverage manufacturer if it had any expansion plans or equipment upgrades in the works, the typical response was, “We’re waiting to see what the new Obama administration will mean for the economy.” Now that President Obama has been in the White House for 20 months of his second term, processors have had a chance to gauge the path of the economy—and the view is still not crystal clear. A lack of consumer confidence and prolonged unemployment still hinder economic growth. Plus, concern over government regulation has risen. However, manufacturers regulated by FDA are beginning to get a clearer picture of how FSMA will affect them. Even though not all FSMA regulations are final, processors know they will need to beef up their food safety measures, and in many cases, this will mean the purchase of lab and automation equipment—both to increase the efficiency and throughput of their plants and to have electronic track-and-trace capability.