Food Processing’s Food For Thought Podcast

This episode is brought to you by the American Egg Board.

With spring migration of wild birds well under way, egg farmers are working overdrive to keep their flocks safe and healthy as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or bird flu) continues to threaten poultry and birds of all types.

Not only is the industry researching ways to protect flocks, but it also is battling to restore their numbers. Nate Hedtke, vice president, Inn...

In mid-February, Food Processing senior editor Andy Hanacek was invited to moderate a panel discussing the U.S. meat industry for cultivated meat company Meatable in the Netherlands. Joining Hanacek on stage were longtime meat industry executive Jeff Swain, Chef Andrew Hunter and Paradai Adisayathepkul of Betagro. This conversation covers how cultivated meat can learn from previous “revolutionary” product introductions to win over ...

In this episode, Dana Rodio, director of marketing and branding for Nassau Candy, offers her insights into the up-and-coming consumer group, Generation Alpha. Rodio talks about the consumption and media trends driving the habits of Gen Alpha kids, who have been bombarded with messaging and media from an early age.

She also discusses how Nassau approaches appealing to them, and what any food and beverage company should pay attention...

Clint Rivers, president and CEO of Wayne-Sanderson Farms, has had a long, esteemed career in the poultry industry, and he is retiring March 31, 2025, after leading several chicken companies over the last few decades.

Rivers sat down with me during the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta in January to talk about the challenges and opportunities in front of the chicken industry and how technology continue...

At the IPPE Show in Atlanta at the end of January, we caught up with Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, who recently took over as chief operating officer for the Meat Institute for longtime executive Mark Dopp, who is retiring.

Johnson-Hoffman shares with us her goals in the role and what she’s already working on just about a month into the job. She also discusses how the Institute plans to work with the new presidential administration to hel...

In this episode, recorded during the IPPE show in Atlanta in January, Juan DeVillena, senior vice president of quality assurance and food safety at Wayne-Sanderson Farms, walks through Wayne-Sanderson’s digitalization journey and how the company is working to implement artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning today.

DeVillena also discusses how the chicken processor rolled out its training and helped its employees work thr...

Amanda Buonopane, senior manager of strategic insights for Rich Products, returns to talk about Rich’s MegaTrends reports, which the company develops and then shares with the industry.

In the current report, Buonopane says the data shows snacking is on the rise with consumers, and also how e-commerce and online shopping are impacting the food and beverage industry today.

This is the latest guest appearance by Buonopane. Check out t...

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a rule that would require a front-of-package nutrition label for most packaged food products, listing saturated fat, sodium and added sugars content for each product.

Natalie Rainer, partner and member of the Health Care and FDA practice at K&L Gates, discusses the proposed rule and the industry’s initial reaction. She also digs into what it means for the future of product d...

As we tear down our 2024 calendars and replace them with 2025 versions, it’s a good time to look back on the year in food safety challenges, accomplishments and trends that might push into the new year.

Andrew Lorenz, who consults processors on food safety, quality and regulatory issues as CEO and founder of We R Food Safety!, offers his insights into the uptick in recalls in the past year and what FSIS and the FDA had turned their...

According to Alissa Davis, vice president of marketing for Golden Waffles, breakfast is coming back as people begin traveling again, both for work and pleasure. As such, Golden Waffles — which manufactures and sells its own waffle batter and provides waffle irons and accessories to foodservice operators and institutions — has rebranded itself and positioned its business to take advantage of the trends.

Davis joins the podcast to di...

As we begin to turn the page on the 2024 calendar year, John Robertson of Life Cycle Engineering joins the Food For Thought podcast to discuss the workforce challenges facing manufacturing and food and beverage processors and how automation is helping ease some of the burden.

Robertson warns that processors who have not fostered a strong plan to capture legacy knowledge and support the next generation of employees can wait no longe...

Circana’s vice president of Thought Leadership, Joan Driggs, joins the Food For Thought podcast to discuss the trends driving Thanksgiving shopping for food and beverage products this year. Shoppers are not wavering on the products they want on this American food-fest of a holiday, and retailers and processors, fortunately, are stepping up to offer deals and make the cost a little more affordable for consumers.

In addition, Driggs ...

The term “recycling” has been around for decades, but how much progress have food and beverage companies made? And how have consumers been supported in their efforts to recycle?

John Hewitt, senior vice president of packaging and sustainability on behalf of the Consumer Brands Association, talks about where industry stands, and then offers a learning session on molecular recycling — a recycling process that takes the standard, mech...

As consumers seek healthier options in their food choices, fermented foods have seen a resurgence in popularity, and Fermented Food Holdings, or FFH, hopes to take advantage of the rising demand. The company recently promoted Jorge Azevedo from chief operating officer to be its first CEO, and he joins the Food For Thought podcast to discuss the company’s growth and its mission moving forward.

In addition, Azevedo offers his insight...

Food and beverage plants are constantly chasing improved productivity and efficiency, and Bill Remy, CEO for TBM Consulting, joins the Food For Thought podcast to discuss strategies to help them reach those goals.

Remy also reminds processors of the importance of getting skilled workers on board to maintain the equipment at a high level, despite the complexity of the automation being installed, and figuring out a way to transfer th...

This episode is brought to you by Robroy Industries.

For food and beverage processors, designing facilities, equipment and components requires a sharp focus on mitigating safety risks to product and the workforce. Taken singularly, the bar has been raised for most of these standards.

Yet, as Steve Voelzke, president of the Electrical Division at Robroy Industries, explains, an all-encompassing, wide-lens approach to designing syste...

The popularity of private-label food and beverage products continues to grow, and it’s being driven by a variety of factors from inflation over the years to continued price pressure to the influence of the Gen Z shopper.

Nichole Jones, principal in EY-Parthenon’s retail strategy practice, and Don Johnson, principal in the consumer products and retail strategy practice at EY-Parthenon, join the podcast to discuss what makes this opp...

This episode is brought to you by Regal Rexnord.

Food and beverage processors aim every day to deliver increased sustainable productivity to get products out the door quicker. However, that goal often can be impeded by routine or unexpected conveyor line maintenance.

Barry Voshell, strategic account manager for Regal Rexnord, joins us in this episode to discuss the various solutions in the industry that can reduce maintenance inter...