November 2020 | Food Engineering

In the November 2020 issue of Food Engineering, we put a spotlight on sustainability. This issue features an in-depth look at the winner of our Sustainable Plant of the Year award.

Food Engineering’s 2020 Sustainable Plant of the Year

MycoTechnology commits to a sustainable culture

Casey Laughman

November 2, 2020

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MycoTechnology, a Colorado-based manufacturer of mushroom-based protein powder, wins the 2020 Food Engineering Sustainable Plant of the Year award for its commitment to sustainability in design, construction and operations.

How two industry leaders invest to save the water supply as scarcity grows

Kraft Heinz and Nestlé Waters North America sustainability leaders say protection of the lifeblood resource will require looking outside the factory walls

Rose Shilling

October 28, 2020

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With water stress a growing concern, food and beverage companies invest to cut usage, increasingly looking outside their factory walls to conserve a lifeblood resource for the industry.

Frito-Lay freight facility project in Modesto, Calif.

Partner with utilities to cut costs, improve your corporate sustainability image

Learn about resources to save money on power and be a good steward of natural resources

Wayne Labs

October 19, 2020

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Learn how food and beverage manufacturers partner with energy companies and utilities to save money on power and improve their sustainability image.

Waste Management

Tips on cutting waste, a high-stakes priority for food manufacturers

A Q&A with 3 industry experts on waste disposal and recycling

Sharon Spielman

October 26, 2020

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Experts give tips on how to cut waste in food manufacturing, explaining how sustainability efforts for waste disposal and recycling can save processors money.

Editor's Note

It’s been a strange year, but we have to find ways to be sustainable

Think about managing water, energy and waste in new ways

Casey Laughman

October 30, 2020

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Food and beverage manufacturers must keep looking for new ways to improve sustainability with water, energy and waste.

Food Safety

How to avoid food safety and quality issues from employee error

Protect product integrity through training, security measures and prevention programs

Richard F. Stier

October 23, 2020

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Avoid food safety and quality issues from employee error, protecting product integrity through training, security measures and prevention programs.

track and trace for fresh-cut romaine lettuce

Manufacturing News

FDA proposes new FSMA rule for food traceability

In a major move, FDA is adding new rules to make it easier to electronically track contaminated food anywhere in the supply chain

Wayne Labs

October 9, 2020

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Spawned by a seemingly unending parade of produce recalls over the last few years, the FDA proposed a new FSMA food traceability rule that demands electronic traceability from farm-to-retail for several food types prone to bacterial contamination.

Regulatory Watch

USDA releases plan to decrease Salmonella in meat, poultry, eggs

The plan outlines efforts to reduce pathogen contamination and Salmonella infections associated with FSIS-regulated products

Sharon Spielman

October 13, 2020

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The USDA releases a plan to reduce Salmonella infections from meat, poultry and eggs.

Packaging

Here’s a recap of companies addressing race on food packaging

Updated packaging designs are starting to trickle out this fall, including new names for Eskimo Pies and Uncle Ben’s rice

Rose Shilling

October 14, 2020

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Food manufacturers, including Quaker Oats, Mars and Conagra, are updating packaging and branding to eliminate images or names viewed as racially insensitive.

Packaging

Kraft Heinz wants European ketchup bottles to be recyclable as new food packaging

Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottles switching to single-material PET for circular economy goal

Rose Shilling

October 14, 2020

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Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottles in Europe will soon be made of one type of plastic so they can be recycled into food-grade PET.

Engineering R&D

Pneumatics give cakelike slurries an extra push in progressive cavity pumps

Spent grain from brewing among applications for pump assisted by compressed air

Wayne Labs

October 12, 2020

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The SEEPEX progressive cavity pump assisted by compressed air handles spent grain in the brewing industry.

video security and access control system

Field Reports

Frozen food processor tightens security for protection, COVID compliance

Access control helps ensure only authorized employees enter and exit

October 26, 2020

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ASCO Series 273 valve features a pinching mechanism that remains firmly in place to provide better tube retention and eliminate breakage or damage to the soft tubing.

New Plant Products

Pipeline X-ray system

October 23, 2020

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System is designed to promote systematic product flow and detect contaminants using active product tracking while lowering the amount of good product rejected.

Consumers are choosing products and brands they know and trust as they shop for food during the global pandemic. Any disruption to production could damage brand reputation, wreak havoc on throughput and disrupt the supply chain.