Food For Thought

Sustainable Packaging Continues to Advance, But Challenges Still Remain

John Hewitt, senior vice president of packaging and sustainability on behalf of the Consumer Brands Association, joins the Food For Thought podcast today to share his insights on sustainable packaging trends and initiatives in the food and beverage industry.
Hewitt offers his take on the challenges that the industry still faces when it comes to furthering the mission of reducing the impact of product packaging on the environment, and what the industry needs to work on and support to take it to the next level.

Advancing Food Safety Through Tech, Workforce Innovation

This episode is brought to you by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.
Food safety presents some of the industry's most significant challenges — the kind that keep plant operators up at night and require continuous innovation. Recent research from PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines food safety and sanitation as it relates to workforce challenges, technological advancement and equipment design.Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of market development at PMMI, discusses those insights in this Industry Perspective bonus episode of the Food For Thought podcast.
Learn more about PMMI and Pack Expo Las Vegas.

Danimals Pushes to Capitalize on Kids Yogurt, Snacking Trends

Lindsey Lee, senior director, Family & Kids Yogurt at Danone North America, joins the podcast to discuss the Snack Hero campaign that the Danimals brand embarked upon earlier this summer and how it worked to keep the brand top of mind for parents looking for snacks for their kids.
Lee also took the time to share her insights into the trends driving the kids yogurt and snacks today, digging deep into the normalization of drinkable formats and the flavor trends when it comes to consumption preferences of some of the pickiest eaters among consumers.

How to Approach CDP Reporting, Sustainability Initiatives for Food & Beverage Companies

Nathalia Macedo, senior climate and ESG consultant for NSF International, joins the Food For Thought podcast to discuss CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) reporting for food and beverage processors. What should companies focus on first? How can they improve their scores and demonstrate their sustainability initiatives are producing results that matter?
Macedo addresses these points, and she also walks through a few recommendations, tactics and tips for answering CDP’s questions when the time comes to report.

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