Food and Beverage Manufacturing Top Stories

Ransomware is big business—and you can’t afford to play the game!

A cyberattack not only creates costly downtime but also can destroy IP, cause food safety issues and just be plain expensive—whether or not you pay the ransom

Wayne Labs

September 24, 2020

Ransomware could cost your food or beverage company millions.

Field Reports

Seal inspection system ensures quality packing for artisanal pâté

Sensors mounted on sealing bars help Belgian processor prevent defective packaging

September 23, 2020

Belgian artisanal pâté maker uses Engilico seal inspection system to ensure a quality packed product.

Dry Processing

Whiskey distiller uses centrifugal sifter to recover liquid sour mash

With Kason sifter, Bendt Distilling turns spent grain byproduct into saleable livestock feed

Sharon Spielman

September 22, 2020

Kason equipment gives Bendt Distilling income from its spent grain byproduct.

Novel no more: HPP grows with batch processing, new bulk juice handling

High pressure processing will continue to expand with increasing consumer demand for natural, fresh-tasting foods without preservatives

Sharon Spielman

September 17, 2020

Building on a foothold in batch guacamole processing, high pressure processing moves into bulk and grows in markets that require fresh taste with no preservatives and a long shelf life.

Engineering R&D

Are you backing up ransomware with your data?

New tool spots sleeper ransomware so it doesn’t get backed up with your data, only to attack later

Wayne Labs

September 16, 2020

Fighting sleeper ransomware demands new preemptive tools beyond the usual AI and machine learning functionalities.

Industry News

Food Engineering exclusive: Gray acquires Anderson Dahlen

Purchase of equipment manufacturer expands Gray’s array of products and services

Wayne Labs

September 14, 2020

Gray, a global leader in engineering, design, construction, and automation, has purchased Anderson Dahlen, a major manufacturer and fabricator of specialty and stainless steel equipment for the food and beverage, pharma, and vacuum technology industries.

Brandon Ellis, owner and president of elliTek at his shop

Securing OT/IT networks

Keeping machines, OT networks and IT safe from cyberattacks

Sometimes all you need is a knowledgeable system integrator or machine builder who’s “been there—done that,” when it comes to securing networks from cyberattacks

Wayne Labs

September 11, 2020

Even when you think you've taken all precautions on cybersecurity, there's always a "gotcha."

Cover Story

Cold Storage Construction and COVID-19

How the pandemic is transforming new-build and renovation projects in 2020.

Michael Costa

September 1, 2020

Looking back on what we’ll call 2020 B.C. (Before Coronavirus), the pipeline for cold storage construction was already robust and healthy. According to research by commercial real estate firm CBRE, overall industrial construction—which encompasses cold storage, along with warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, self-storage, office and flex space—was at 298 million square feet (MSF) before COVID-19, bolstered by the ongoing rise of e-commerce.

Cybersecurity and OT

Industrial control systems risk shutdowns and other dangerous outcomes due to cybersecurity attacks

No doubt a ransomware or malware attack can shut down enterprise business systems, but cybersecurity attacks can do a lot more damage on manufacturing systems

Wayne Labs

August 31, 2020

Of late, several companies have taken hits on their worldwide IT and Web based systems. Perhaps the most recent, Canon, suffered a global ransomware attack, taking down many Canon websites and systems - also with a threat of making their private business data public. But can these IT/enterprise attacks threaten and/or damage OT systems? And what can they do to food and beverage products? Make them unsafe by altering a critical kill step or omitting preservatives? What else? I asked Barak Pereleman, VP of OT Security at Tenable, what attack vectors may pose danger to OT-based systems.

Food Safety

How processors are adapting to FSMA in its early years

What food and beverage manufacturers need to know to stay in compliance

Sharon Spielman

August 31, 2020

Food manufacturing businesses must comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)—the biggest food safety reform in seven decades, which affects the way our foods are grown, harvested and processed.