Food Processing’s Food For Thought Podcast

Lack of Training, Development of Leaders Hold Food and Beverage Processors Back

At the Food Safety Summit in May, we sat down with Tia Glave, president and co-founder, and Jill Stuber, vice president and co-founder, of Catalyst Food Leaders, to discuss food safety culture and leadership trends.
During our conversation, the Catalyst team discussed the advancements food and beverage companies have made in putting a focus on building and communicating a food safety culture in their plants — and what’s needed to grow even further.
Stuber and Glave remind companies that their workers want to be valuable, be led and be owners of the process, and proper support of the people will help them succeed. However, one of the biggest missing pieces across the board, they say, is the lack of leadership identification, training and development throughout many organizations today.

Be Proactive on Ultraprocessed Foods Discussions, Actions

Rocco Renaldi, secretary general of the International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA), discusses the movement toward defining foods on the processing spectrum from “not processed” to “ultraprocessed,” and how the challenges run deeper than the superficial labels that currently exist.
In addition, Renaldi shares his ideas for how the industry can work together with science and find a way forward that not only properly categorizes foods on this spectrum, but also works to make more healthy, fresh foods more affordable and accessible for communities and consumers who need them most.
Read some of our recent content showing just how unclear the definitions around ultraprocessed foods appear to many in the industry, from our May cover story, "Ultraprocessed or Not? The Answers Aren’t Yet Clear", to our recent guest column "Ultraprocessed Foods: What Are We Even Talking About?".

Fermented Ingredients and Their Role in the Future Food Supply

Fermentation, especially precision fermentation, continues to grow as a solution for numerous challenges in and around the food and beverage industry. McKinsey & Co., a management consulting firm, recently completed research on precision fermentation, and Kate Toews and Tom Brennan joined the podcast to discuss the findings of the research, the future innovation fermented ingredients can bring to product development, and how commercialization is happening in food and beverage.

SunOpta SVP Digs into Trends in Plant-Based Foods, Better-For-You Snacking

Lauren McNamara, senior vice president of business management for SunOpta, joins the podcast to discuss trends in plant-based foods and better-for-you snacking, and offers her insights into how SunOpta is preparing for future determinations on ultraprocessed foods definitions and potential ingredient bans or restrictions.
McNamara also talks about how better-for-you snacks can position themselves more prominently as solving nutrition challenges for individuals looking to indulge, but do so in a smart way. She also offers an update on where private label products stand with consumers today.

Grupo Jumex Works to Bring Back Odwalla Juices, Smoothies to U.S. Market

Odwalla juices and smoothies are back, and Carlos Madrazo, U.S. country manager for Grupo Jumex, joins the podcast to talk about the brand’s relaunch and the work done to bring it back after five years off the market.
He also discusses the competitive advantages the company brings due to its vertical integration in the fruit business and how it goes the extra mile to investigate, install and use innovative beverage processing technologies to ensure quality products.

Egg Industry Remains Confident in Bird Flu Battle

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, Innovation and Customer Engagement for the American Egg Board, discusses why he believes the industry will find solutions and bounce back in the near future.
Learn more about the American Egg Board

How Cultivated Meat Can Win Over Traditional Processors, Consumers

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 traditional processors and consumers.
The quartet spoke and answered audience questions for nearly an hour, and this podcast is a roughly 12-minute snippet of their conversation. Meatable has published a video of the entire panel here, if you’re interested in hearing the rest of the discussion on cultivated meat, Meatable’s plans and how the U.S. market fits.

Don’t Be Cringe: Nassau Candy’s Tips for Marketing to Gen Alpha

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 to when it comes to drawing them to their brands.

Reflecting on the Growth of the Chicken Industry, Discussing the Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

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 continues to push the envelope in processing applications.
He also reflects on his career, talks about the good mentors who have guided him, and offers his advice for those just starting out in the industry.

Addressing Meat Industry Challenges, from New Administration to Food Safety

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 help the industry move forward and gives her thoughts on how the industry still can improve its efforts to keep food safety at the forefront at all times.