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Food packaging (and consumer goods packaging in general) are seeing some stiff demands. While PMMI is predicting that the global food packaging market in itself will reach $400 billion by 2025, with a CAGR nearly 5%, there are some real challenges to overcome, both in packaging and the supply chain. For example, processors struggle to keep up with new customer demands, while product and packaging changeovers occur frequently to meet consumer needs. In addition, OSHA has been cracking down on unsafe machines, and the need to clean is more important than ever.

Recalls and health alerts about onions likely linked to a salmonella outbreak are expanding to include various fresh salads, snack packs and diced vegetables.

Health investigators warn against eating red, white, yellow and sweet onions from Thomson International Inc. because of a salmonella outbreak that's shown up in two-thirds of states.

A combination of funding cuts, aging infrastructure, and new pollutants has pushed the responsibility for water treatment back upstream to the facilities that produce the wastewater. This means food and beverage processors and other manufacturers that generate copious amounts of wastewater.

Hostess Brands recalled Raspberry Zingers because the snack cakes might develop mold before the best by date.

While not intuitively obvious, some processes lend themselves to having their control systems linked to a building’s control system, climate controls or HVAC. For example, a spiral freezer should be linked with process and environmental controls to save energy and improve the process. Other process applications that can benefit from further integration with environmental controls include drying, baking and other yeast-based processes.

Moving from an all-analog means of keeping track of process and storage temperatures can provide numerous benefits—for example, getting more robust measurements with higher stability, reliability and accuracy. In addition, you get better diagnostic information from the sensors themselves, and this information—coupled with temperature and other process variables—can help you get a better grip on your process and on maintenance, too.

With consumers more focused on health and nutrition, and empowered by the internet to follow the latest trends, food companies that cater to their needs will be rewarded, and those who lag behind punished by a growing segment of the market.