Food safety remains one of the issues that keeps food and beverage processors up at night, and many experts in the field will suggest that, by building a strong food safety culture, processors can drive successful implementation and execution of their food safety strategies across all operations.

Sharon Beals, current owner of SKKB LLC and former food safety leader for several food processors and foodservice operators over the years, discusses her thoughts on why such a strategy can be important and help set the tone for the company — but also how food safety culture alone cannot create an atmosphere in which food safety is truly the top priority.

In this bonus audio, Food Processing senior editor Andy Hanacek asks what has various federal agencies particularly concerned about the most recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) during a Town Hall panel at the Food Safety Summit in Rosemont, Ill.

To read the news article summarizing the Town Hall takeaways, visit www.foodprocessing.com.

Food Processing editor-in-chief Dave Fusaro stops by the studios to discuss his trip to Natural Products Expo West. Fusaro is a veteran attendee of the show, and he’ll recount the sights — and tastes — that caught his eye while in Anaheim this spring.

From mushroom-based products to tinned fish, Fusaro discusses a variety of products exhibitors had on display — and don't forget the 'turducken of confections,' Fusaro says. Get a good look at the trends in product development and R&D through this episode of the podcast.

Today’s episode is sponsored by Loadsmart

In this episode, George Swartz, vice president of sales for Loadsmart’s Transportation Solutions Group, talks about the logistics challenges that food and beverage processors face currently, as well as the trends leading operations into the future.

Swartz also offers his viewpoints on how the industry can manage its carbon footprint and reach its sustainability goals through innovative logistics opportunities and tactics, and gives his thoughts on how and when he believes electric vehicles will start to really impact supply chain and logistics.

Learn more about how Loadsmart Managed Transportation can help lower freight costs.

In this episode of the Food For Thought podcast, Andy Hanacek, senior editor of Food Processing, joins the editors of several brands in the Endeavor Business Media family, of which Food Processing is a member, to discuss what the outcome of the upcoming presidential election could mean for the various segments of the manufacturing industry they cover.

The video was hosted by Industry Week and published as a part of its “Production Pulse” series, and Hanacek represented Food Processing to shed some light on how the political landscape is affecting the food and beverage industry. Laura Putre, senior editor of Industry Week, moderated the panel and led the discussion. Thanks to our friends at Industry Week for allowing us to share this content directly with you, our listeners. I hope you enjoy the episode.

You can also visit Industry Week’s site to view the video of this panel discussion.

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.