2023 June

The June 2023 issue of FOOD ENGINEERING features the 2023 Sustainable Plant of the Year, AI: Behind-the-Scene Partner in Process Applications, and much more!

Laying a Model of Sustainability for Food Processing

Vital Farms hatched a plan to create a model of sustainability for Egg Central Station, which is why it’s FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2023 Sustainable Plant of the Year.

Derrick Teal

June 12, 2023

It only takes a few seconds after stepping into Vital Farms’ Egg Central Station (ECS) to realize that the company truly loves its egg-related puns. If there’s writing nearby, be it on a wall, memo or bulletin board, there’s a pun not far behind. They’re part of an ethos that starts from the top and flows down the company’s ranks to put a smile on someone’s face, even if just for a second. That idea of doing good extends beyond the facility walls to its other locations, the farmers who supply the eggs, the consumers who buy the product and, finally, to the planet itself. That visible commitment to the environment is why the addition at ECS was chosen as FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2023 Sustainable Plant of the Year.

Packaging

Ready to Select Your Next Vertical Form Fill Seal Machine? Consider This...

Selecting the right VFFS can augment your packaging operations, and these elements will help guide you to the VFFS system that best meets your needs now and in the future.

Spencer Johnson

June 30, 2023

Vertical form fill seal (VFFS) machines can mean different things to different people. The criteria used in evaluating, and ultimately determining, which bagging machine to buy is likely different if you are a small startup manufacturer versus operating for a global Fortune 500 brand.

Garofalo Pasta Addresses Consumer Concerns with Mono-Material Packaging

Food producers are working with packaging makers to create flexible packaging options that meet existing and proposed EPR regulations.

Grant Gerke

June 20, 2023

Italian-based Pasta Garofalo has introduced biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film material to its line of select pasta products. This new mono-film material is the product of advanced recycling via some form of pyrolysis—an anaerobic high-heat process that breaks down commingled plastics and produces oil and, eventually, a polymer resin for packaging film material or other uses.

State-Based Control Uncovers Automation Gains

For an edible oil processor, the best way to efficiently manage unique characteristics of different products was by adopting modern control loop performance monitoring software with the ability to recognize different operating states.

Robert Rice

June 26, 2023

Most manufacturing operations are constantly faced with change, and therefore they must be designed to adapt. Change routinely presents itself in the form of different production recipes, varying material properties, irregular equipment availability, weather extremes and many other factors. What’s more, change often includes several of these variables concurrently, and each may interact with others—adding still more complexity.

Label verification system increases automatic identification of barcodes, defect detection, code dates and SKU management

Food Giant 'Expedites' Quality Control Upgrade

New labeling equipment and connecting to its SCADA platform add critical data monitoring to packaging lines, avoiding recalls and reputational harm.

Grant Gerke

June 14, 2023

In a FOOD ENGINEERING interview, a PMMI VP said that three-quarters of food manufacturers were expected to spend money on new equipment from 2020-2025. PMMI’s Jorge Izquierdo, VP of market development at PMMI, said the driver behind the increase in processing and packaging purchases was “to leverage new technologies that offer increased flexibility.”

people planning around a conference table

Building an Automation Infrastructure

The better you know what you already have in place, the easier it is to plan for a successful future.

Wayne Labs

June 9, 2023

Plan to build an architecture that will grow with your needs.

Artificial intelligence built into vision systems

AI: Behind-the-Scene Partner in Process Applications

Rather than apply AI/ML in one big fell swoop, why not choose applications that use AI to make them more efficient and build from there?

Wayne Labs

June 7, 2023

AI is a must to improve process quality, save energy and maintain equipment.

IFT Report Recommends Collaboration and Innovation to Advance Food Traceability

The report is intended to contribute to discussions about the role of technology in food traceability and provide recommendations on advancing the traceability landscape.

June 28, 2023

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has released a report commissioned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that evaluates food traceability trends based on 90 submissions from teams that participated in FDA’s 2021 Low- or No-Cost Tech-Enabled Traceability Challenge.

New Wave Foods co-founder and chief executive, Michelle Wolf.

A New Wave of Alternative Protein Products with New Wave Foods’ Michelle Wolf

Samantha Russo

May 22, 2023

Michelle Wolf, cofounder and chief executive of New Wave Foods, describes how industry culture, innovative solutions and a thriving market paved the way for New Wave Foods to make an impact from coast to coast.

Packaging Machinery

A-B-C Unveils Bottle Unpacker and Packer

May 10, 2023

The two-in-one system is designed to reduce labor and save floor space.

Processing

Multivac Introduces High-Output Slicer—The SLX 2000

May 8, 2023

The slicer can be designed for up to four tracks and can be used with products that have a maximum length of up to 1,600 mm.

Vision/Inspection/Detection

Key Technology Develops Integrated Hyperspectral Sorting System for Bacon Bits

May 17, 2023

VERYX BioPrint analyzes data about the materials it is sorting to remove difficult-to-detect foreign material (FM) and product defects.

Conveyors

Flexicon Develops Tilt-Down Conveyor

May 15, 2023

The conveyor fits restrictive processing situations, has a low center of gravity and provides accessibility from standing height.

Powder Handling

BFM Global Introduces Venting Surge Hopper

May 11, 2023

The company’s flexible, transparent Seeflex 040E material is designed as a bridging solution for processing bulk powders.

Join the editorial staff from FOOD ENGINEERING and Refrigerated & Frozen Foods as they break down the 2024 Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies and discuss the factors affecting this year’s rankings.

Food Engineering

Cover Story