Any milk dryer operation uses a lot of energy, and when you have the biggest operation in North America, you use…a lot of energy.

Both awards will be presented at Food Engineering’s Food Automation & Manufacturing Conference and Expo at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Fla. held April 8-11, 2018.

A look at the top three trends that emerged throughout the conference including: employee issues, software integration and sustainability.

This year Food Engineering’s revived Sustainable Plant of the Year Award has been given to Clif Bar for its newly built bakery in Twin Falls, Idaho.

In the past, Food Engineering’s Sustainable Plant of the Year story has focused on a single plant at one geographic location that has made significant strides in sustainability.

A biogas system has transformed Stahlbush Island farms into a carbon negative operation, removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it is responsible for creating.

Efficiency was built into Frito-Lay’s Casa Grande plant a quarter-century ago, but the snack maker takes the facility’s energy- and water-conservation systems to a new level with near net zero.