Food
Engineering presented the 2007 Plant of the Year award to the management team
of T. Marzetti Co.’s 220,000-sq.-ft. dressings and sauces plant in Horse Cave,
KY. The winning facility features
extensive use of off-site fabrication that facilitated quick and efficient
construction, superior sanitary design, product-saving pigging system and
innovative use of the interstitial area between walkable ceilings and
roof.
FDA
is currently debating whether to allow milk from cloned cows into the
marketplace. Fearing an adverse consumer reaction, dairy processors are urging
FDA to keep its present moratorium in place.
Mechanically
complete in January, Tate & Lyle’s Splenda facility in Singapore has begun
its 12-18 month ramp up to full capacity. The $300 million plant is the
company’s largest investment in Asia. Tate & Lyle also
operates a Splenda facility in Alabama.
With
one food recall after another making headlines, Congress appears intent on
beefing up federal government food inspection activities. The House Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform held a high profile hearing last month,
calling the current and past commissioners of the FDA before it to outline the
agency’s problems and offer prescriptions.
Another
study warning that children see too many junk food ads may provide fodder for
health advocates who support increased regulations on how food is marketed to
kids.
Mexico’s
largest meat processor, Sigma Alimentos, S.A. DE C.V. (San Pedro Garza Garcia,
Nuevo Leon), broke ground on a new meat processing plant in Sigma, OK.
The
pet food contamination case isn’t closed yet. On April 6, FDA’s director,
Center for Veterinary Medicine, Stephen Sundlof told CNN news that “somebody
may have added melamine to the wheat gluten in order to increase what appears
to be the protein level.”