Food For Thought

Having recently retired from her role as chief strategy and brand officer for Bon Appetit Management Co., Maisie Ganzler still has a special place in her heart for helping the food and beverage industry reach its sustainability potential. Ganzler remains a strategic advisor for Bon Appetit, but she also has published a book titled, “You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime, and Other Lessons from the Food Industry for Creating a More Sustainable Company.”

In conjunction with the release of the book this week, Ganzler joins the Food For Thought podcast to discuss how processors can better communicate their sustainability initiatives and achievements, avoiding greenwashing and improving their image and the trust their customers and consumers have in their brands.

Amanda Buonopane, senior manager of strategic insights for Rich Products, says social gatherings are in flux, and Rich’s sees consumer preferences shifting accordingly.

In this episode of the podcast, Buonopane shares the research Rich’s has gathered around the eating occasions that come with social gatherings today, and also shares some of the analysis that the team has done around those findings.

Brett Erickson, director of Prepared and Packaged Solutions for Certified Angus Beef, discusses how value-added product trends are driving changes for consumers, foodservice operators and processors — and how innovation is helping to push the envelope further. Additionally, Erickson offers his insights into how CAB and the industry can adjust to consumer demand in response to inflation and higher food prices overall.

Eric Mittenthal, chief strategy officer for the North American Meat Institute, joined me during last month’s International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta. We discussed the Institute’s Protein PACT initiative, its success thus far and goals moving forward, as well as what any segment of the food industry can learn from how Protein PACT has brought together processors.

Food Processing attended the International Production & Processing Expo, or IPPE, in Atlanta, and participated in a news conference with Alexis Taylor, under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs at USDA. With the small group of journalists in attendance, under secretary Taylor offered her thoughts on the export markets currently, and also addressed two questions from FP senior editor Andy Hanacek.

Hanacek asked how the outside world perceives the U.S. food system when states rush to pass legislation ahead of and often in competition with the federal regulations in place, and which U.S. products are most coveted in the export market nowadays.

Cindy Wu, vice president of marketing for Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Food, joins us for this episode of the Food For Thought podcast.

In today’s episode, she and Andy Hanacek discuss the growth in popularity of Indian cuisine and how Sukhi’s is doing its part to help build growth in those flavors and styles in the U.S.

In addition, Wu offers her insights into how processors of frozen and refrigerated foods are responding in the wake of inflation and food price increases, as well as the trends driving those categories heading into 2024.

Trisha McRoberts, corporate vice president and chief procurement officer for Golden State Foods, joins us for this episode of the Food For Thought podcast to share her insights on sustainable sourcing and packaging. Where does the industry stand after years of innovation and advancement, what is holding North American consumers and companies back, and what are some of Golden State Foods’ success stories in this arena?

In our latest cover story, we profiled the rise of JBS USA from its creation in 2007 through parent company JBS S.A.'s acquisition of Swift & Co., to today's successes, leading to the company being named Food Processing's 2023 Processor of the Year.

Senior editor Andy Hanacek dictates the story, which was written for our November/December 2023 print magazine by editor-in-chief Dave Fusaro.

Read the main story here, along with several additional stories discussing the company's evolution into value-added production, its pledge to become net zero and Fusaro's take on how the company has been a good American citizen.

In this episode, Andy Hanacek, senior editor of Food Processing, reads his cover story feature from the October 2023 issue, detailing the successful sustainability initiatives of Hormel Foods' Fontanini Foods plant in McCook, Ill., in case you missed it or would rather listen to it.

Article Written By: Andy Hanacek

Read By: Andy Hanacek 

Read the article on our Web site

View Webinar with Hormel and Fontanini Foods on their sustainability successes in the past year.

This episode is the second in a two-part series sponsored by RSM. Listen to Part 1 here.

When it comes to innovative technology, today is a great time be in the food and beverage processing industry, as it wrestles with the future: a future driven by automation, the digital and data revolution, artificial intelligence and augmented reality.

In today’s Food For Thought episode, which is the second of a two-part series brought to you by RSM, Christian Winzeler, principal at RSM, explains where he sees those innovative technologies making the biggest impact in food and beverage.

Learn more about RSM