Today’s food manufacturers face a whole host of new challenges. A shift in consumer needs and demands driven by the increasingly diverse needs of all consumer groups, such as singles, empty nesters and smaller family units, have likely been the greatest disruptors. This resulting divergence in consumer desires necessitates more flexible lines to handle fewer, shorter runs of multiple product types.
But that’s only the beginning. In an effort to ensure a safer food industry, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in the United States has brought with it some of the most intensive changes to government oversight in recent memory.