Joyce Fassl has spent most of her career in magazine management. As the former editor-in-chief of Food Engineering, Fassl has directed the magazine’s editorial staff since 1986, except for a two-year stretch where she oversaw content direction for the debut of Packexpo.com. Her expertise is creating dynamic print and online content, building top-notch editorial teams and managing innovative custom publishing projects and live events. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State University. In addition to supervising all Food Engineering content, Joyce is Program Director for the Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference.
Even though most sectors of the food and beverage manufacturing industry fared well during the recent economic meltdown, food makers continue to be challenged by an evolving, complex and sometimes strange marketplace.
The retailing giant plans to reduce sodium, sugar and trans fat in the products it sells by 2015 and produce a simple front-of-product label to deliver the message to consumers.
As they move into 2011, processors are strong and lean from continuous improvement efforts as well as margin success in the switch from prepared foods to in-home dining.
Last month when we were preparing this issue devoted to sustainability, I wondered if our readers around the globe could hear me laughing out loud. It was a laugh uttered not out of joy but irony.
Perhaps our industry’s time and money would be better spent on lean manufacturing, food safety and nutritional enhancements and less on line changeovers, special in-store displays and rainbow pallets.
Today, savvy processors employ remote equipment and machine conditioning diagnostics, special supplier partnerships, heat measurement, vibration analysis, predictive maintenance tools, placement of parts in kits for routine maintenance and vendor-managed inventories to boost spare parts efficiency and management.