Articles by Kevin T. Higgins

When a brand is linked to corporate social responsibility, manufacturing practices must meet certain standards. With its South Carolina roasting facility, Starbucks delivers.

PET specialists spent seven years racing the clock and spending considerable capital in isolating and developing a new molecule to scavenge oxygen.

Reclaiming thermal energy is being done on a wider scale than ever before in food processing, reflecting a change in attitude toward the value of energy resources.

Applying microwave energy in a vacuum to dry or dehydrate foods has a checkered past, but a Canadian scientist believes he has solved the challenges.

Product velocity through the checkout line may be the best indicator of tomorrow’s production needs, and food companies are getting closer to accessing that data and other demand metrics.

Food and beverage companies feel the effects of a sour economy, though industry professionals see opportunities in market shifts.

With their ability to tell a story while standing on a supermarket shelf, retail packaging easily flags a change in recyclable content or biodegradability.

Technology needs to find its market, and packaging professionals at Crown Holdings Inc., along with their US food-manufacturing clients, are keeping an eye on a healthy snack launched in September in France and other European countries to see if it clicks with mothers and their children.

Economic constraints are impacting all operations areas, but packaging professionals aren’t suspending efforts to improve sustainability and flexibility.

An interest in shrinking the plant’s carbon footprint and a good neighbor attitude help ease hurdle rates for sustainability initiatives at this California craft brewery.