Food and Beverage Manufacturing Top Stories

5 Things Food Manufacturers Should Know Before They Grow

Often, the factors that derail future expansions are the ones nobody’s talking about. These five overlooked details can make a facility more flexible — or more fragile than expected.

Mallory Wright

August 28, 2026

Dennis Group engineers and project managers discuss the lesser-known factors that can make or break a food manufacturing plant’s long-term expandability.

Two male manufacturing workers with tablet, wearing white coats, gloves and hairnets are pointing at something.

Traditional ERP: End of the Road?

AI promises a brand-new world of ERP systems, however, slapping AI onto a conventional ERP system that is already substandard won’t cut it.

Wayne Labs

August 24, 2026

Some new ERP providers are building their systems from scratch totally on AI, but can their systems fulfill all the demands that manufacturers have expected from conventional ERP over the years?

Printing/Marking

Starting the 2D Code Journey to Strengthen Food Safety

Rachael Satchwell

August 18, 2026

As food manufacturers approach a turning point in the application, verification and sharing of product data, a practical roadmap can support faster implementation, stronger compliance outcomes and measurable operational efficiencies.

Building the Protein Boom: How Dairy Processors Can Engineer Success through Plant and Utility Upgrades

Laura Burke

August 17, 2026

Dairy processors are racing to add capacity as whey protein demand outruns supply. The harder question is whether that capacity can come online when it's needed.

Food processing factory workers loading into a food cart.

Food Waste Management

Managing Facility-Induced Food Waste

While processors have equipment and software fine-tuned to prevent process waste, their building could be working against them.

Wayne Labs

August 17, 2026

Older facilities, in many cases, can be maintained to protect ingredients and finished goods. However, attention should be paid to drainage systems, along with monitoring environmental temperatures, humidity and airflows in critical spaces.

Top Seedz Gains the Advantage with Automated Cracker Production

With disciplined planning and support from local business programs, Rebecca and Will Brady have doubled the production capacity of their seed-based cracker company.

Alyse Thompson-Richards

August 10, 2026

Rebecca Brady, CEO of Top Seedz, and her husband Will Brady, COO, are expanding and automating operations, recently commissioning a second manufacturing line. This has doubled production capacity, putting Top Seedz on track to reach $100 million in annual sales.

Food Plant Openings and Expansions July 2026

Alyse Thompson-Richards

August 7, 2026

EIC Alyse Thompson-Richards reports on recent food and beverage industry developments, including new plants from Bauducco and Gelatys, expansions from Killer Brownie and DG Foods, and Good Culture’s partnership with a Michigan dairy co-op.

Two plastic containers with clear, plastic seals filled with rice and vegetables on a green tablecloth.

Regulatory Watch

FDA Advances Post-Market Review of Phthalates Used in Food Contact Materials

This work will inform the agency’s upcoming post-market safety assessment of the food contact uses of phthalates.

August 6, 2026

The U.S. FDA has evaluated eight ortho-(o)-phthalates used as plasticizers in food contact for a cumulative risk assessment. This analysis will inform the FDA's upcoming safety assessment and determine if these substances should be grouped based on their chemical or pharmacological similarities.