Food Engineering articles from May 2001

Food Engineering archives from May 2001

Words from Washington.
May 1, 2001... I DON'T NORMALLY MAKE A POINT OF ENDORSING conferences, expositions, trade shows and the like, but I have to say that the National Food Processor Association's (NFPA) Food Safety Summit and Expo, held annually in Washington, D.C., is well worth...

NFPA, FDA focus on food allergens.
May 1, 2001... THE NATIONAL FOOD PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION (NFPA) HAS RELEASED AN industry "Code of Practice" for managing food allergens. The purpose of the code is to delineate general practices used by food companies to ensure effective management of food...

USDA spinning wheat into packaging gold.
May 1, 2001... RESEARCHERS AT THE U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) say they have used wheat to make "clamshell" sandwich containers that are more environmentally friendly than old polystyrene clamshells and that keep food warmer than the cardboard...

Industry & People.
May 1, 2001... Dallas-based Suiza Foods Corp. and Franklin Park, Ill.-based Dean Foods Co. announced they have signed a definitive agreement under which the two companies will merge to form a national dairy and specialty foods company with $10 billion in...

Are Americans squeezing in a fourth daily meal?
May 1, 2001... THE STANDARD THREE MEALS A DAY may be failing by the wayside, with breakfast, lunch and dinner now being supplemented by an unofficial fourth meal -- the afternoon snack -- according to a study by Chicago-based Mintel International Group. ...

Public uncertain about GMOs, study reveals.
May 1, 2001... AMERICANS DON'T KNOW A LOT about genetically modified food ingredients, but still want to be advised of any foodstuff that contains it, according to a consumer survey by the Pew Charitable Trust, a newly formed nonprofit group hoping to...

Plant Openings & Expansions.
May 1, 2001... Construction has been completed on a new 170,O00-sq. ft. distribution center for Alliant Foodservice, Inc. The new Houston facility will accommodate rapid growth in the Texas market and southwest region. The new low temperature and dry...

GAO releases food safety report.
May 1, 2001... ALONG WITH STATE AGRICULTURE AND HEALTH departments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spent about $1.3 billion in fiscal year 1999 on food...

P&G marketing Vulcan technology.
May 1, 2001... CINCINNATI-BASED PROCTER & Gamble Company has begun exploring licensing opportunities for its "Reliability Engineering" technology -- a system it says has saved the company considerable sums in manufacturing costs during the past decade. ...

Everything Old Is New Again.
May 1, 2001... Demand for convenience is giving fresh legs to foods in aerosol cans THE TECHNOLOGY THAT ENABLES PROCESSORS to package food in aerosol cans hasn't changed much in 30 years. But impressive sales growth and expanding applications are...

Insulating panels draw interest from food shippers.
May 1, 2001... THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND VACUUM INSULATION PANELS (VIP) has been around since the 1980s, but only in recent years has VIP been commercially viable. Continued improvements are expanding applications, making VIP an option as secondary packaging for...

Vision sensor helps processor maintain appearances.
May 1, 2001... Gourmet spice manufacturer aims for "zero defects" with the new technology AS A LEADING MANUFACTURER OF gourmet spices, San Luis Obispo, Calif.-based Spice Hunter recognizes the importance of shelf appearance and is committed to the...

HMI/SCADA system promotes consistent, traceable burgers.
May 1, 2001... The technology allows McDonald's Corp. to trace any patty back to a specific batch EVER WONDERED HOW MCDONALD'S Corp. ensures that its trademark Big Macs taste the same the world over? The answer is consistency of product and a delivery...

NFPA supports increased funding for food testing.
May 1, 2001... NFPA president also urges Congress to remove "unnecessary layers of regulation" from FSIS In Congressional testimony, National Food Processors Association President John Cady voiced support for increased funding of food safety inspection...

The Essential Guide To manufacturing software 2001.
May 1, 2001... Software functionalities continue to expand as they open more widely to each other and to the Internet. But integration lags on the plant floor. Food Engineering's first "Essential Guide To Manufacturing Software," published two years ago...

Are Maintenance Needs Predictable?
May 1, 2001... Predicting machine maintenance needs in food plants is a commendable goal, but accomplishing it is no small task. WHEN CONSULTANTS AND SOFTWARE SELLERS START TALKING ABOUT MAXIMIZING ASSET UTILIZATION AND REDUCING DOWNTIME WITH WEB-ENABLED...

WASTE NOT ...
May 1, 2001... As a result of tighter regulations and rising surcharges, more and more processors are assuming responsibility for treating -- and in some cases recycling -- the wastewater generated by their plants. Here's a fact that many food processors...

Focus on QA/QC Systems.
May 1, 2001... SPC software Zontec Inc. has released Version 3 of its Synergy 2000 SPC (Statistical Process Control) software with Web-enabled process reporting among its latest capabilities. Synergy 2000 is designed for mission-critical plant computing...

New technology isolates canola protein.
May 1, 2001... Potential multifunctional high-protein food ingredient from a plentiful source RESEARCHERS AT BURCON NUTRASCIENCE Corp. of Vancouver (www.burcon.ca) have developed and patented a process for extracting highquality plant protein from...