The Challenges of Modern-Day Food Processing.

The last few years have been doozies for the food & beverage industry. Widespread disruptions from the Covid pandemic, snarled supply chains, and rising inflation made almost daily headlines, and in the face of these challenges, companies have had to adjust quickly. But these haven’t been the only factors driving the industry’s transformation.

In addition to the traditional difficulties of running a food processing plant, operators today must grapple with a new wave of challenges or be rendered the leftovers of a bygone era.

Trace to the Finish

Among the greatest challenges facing food processors is the need to maintain accurate records for ingredient sources (traceability) and batch testing. The Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) recently adopted Food Traceability Rule —the final rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act —requires those who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods found on the Food Traceability List (FTL) to provide detailed records for a variety of Critical Tracking Events (CTE) using Key Data Elements (KDE) . The FTL encompasses foods deemed to carry a greater potential risk to public health.

The FDA states that the new requirements allow for “faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, resulting in fewer foodborne illnesses and/or deaths.” The compliance date for the rule is Jan. 20, 2026. While this deadline may seem like a long way off, it will put significant pressure on food & beverage processors to update their processes as well as IT/OT to come into full compliance.

Byte: Data isn’t just about streamlining operations: recordkeeping for traceability and food safety is now a make-or-break issue for food & beverage processors. A reliable system integration partner can help you steer clear of regulatory troubles.

Food & beverage processors must be ready to provide these records on short notice (typically within 24 hours). Failure to submit a timely report or evidence of non-compliance may result in fines, recalled products, and production shutdowns until any issues are fully resolved—all of which carry considerable costs.

To thrive in this new regulatory climate, food & beverage processors need integrated digital systems that communicate with each other and allow for a high degree of visibility and remote access, while keeping data security top of mind. Additionally, it’s more important now than ever for processors to maintain an appropriately staffed and trained labor force and clear SOPs for recording and reporting critical data.

Learn more about how food safety regulations are changing the food & beverage industry.

The Bots Have Your Back

Imagine a fully integrated, cohesive team: part human, part robot, functioning as a single unit capable of exceeding the distinct faculties of man and machine. No, we’re not talking about putting cyborgs on your line or mechanizing your workforce with hydraulic arms and microchip implants. We’re talking about cobots.

What’s a cobot?

We’re so glad you asked. A cobot is a robot that has been designed and integrated into your facility to work alongside a human counterpart to increase efficiency, ensure accuracy, and improve safety, among other benefits.

Sounds great, so why not fully automate the process?

Human labor in conjunction with robotics helps provide stability, process flexibility, and problem solving. Humans can constantly monitor effectiveness, make quick decisions if a problem arises, and use their experience to improve how robots work. While a human workforce needs wages, it doesn’t require the high upfront investment associated with fielding a complete team of robots. Moreover, humans are (at this point) more task-flexible than robots and can be trained to perform new jobs as your processes and needs change.

Then why not just use humans?

Robots offer a number of advantages: they can perform manual labor without mental or physical fatigue, they can reduce risk to human workers by performing tasks that are more hazardous in nature, and in many cases can work faster and more accurately than human laborers. And while the initial investment is higher, robotics offers greater ROI in the long term. More pointedly, automating parts of your process can reduce the impact that ongoing labor shortages can have on your operation.

Byte: Cobots offer the advantages of human and robot labor, allowing you to maximize efficiency, minimize the impact of turnover, and maintain the flexibility needed for continuous improvement.

For more information, check out the full article on gray.com.

More, More, More!

Market metrics can be volatile, up one day, down the next, signaling a possible trend one moment only to peter out in the following quarter. But one measure has held steady for time out of mind: the population is growing.

This is true on a national level as well as a global. In autumn of this year, the U.S. population surpassed 334 million , while the world population hit the 8 billion mark . To the food & beverage industry, that’s more mouths to feed—a fact that bares challenge as well as opportunity.

“We continue to see food and beverage companies wanting to heavily invest in larger, more modern processing facilities,” says Tyler Cundiff , president of Gray’s Food & Beverage group. “We’ve never seen the demand like it is now, and there’s no indication that it’s going to slow down.”

It's not just the human population that’s growing. According to WATT Media and Petfood Industry News, pet food is the fastest-growing sector of the food & beverage industry, raking in close to $100 billion in the U.S. and more than $232 billion globally in 2021. Nearly 70% of U.S. households own at least one pet, but millennials—the largest generational demographic—outpaced this figure by 6%, flexing their purchasing power and signaling a bright future for pet food producers.

Byte: With a booming population and soaring demand, food & beverage processors’ expansion timelines are constricted. In such an environment, it’s crucial to balance speed to market with the long-term viability of an operation.

While the opportunities of a growing base of customers are obvious, there are myriad obstacles that can make this trend difficult to capitalize upon. Higher demand means increasing production. This can strain the physical limitations of a manufacturing facility, stretch material suppliers and farmers too thin, and amplify pain points such as labor shortages, supply chain delays, and under-supported e-commerce strategy.

Perry Henderson , vice president of Marketing & Business Development at Anderson Dahlen, a Gray company, elaborated on the challenge of starting up a new plant in the face of lengthening lead times for critical equipment.

“[Prolonged lead times] are a disruption for food & beverage manufacturers, but also for material-producing businesses,” says Henderson. “Almost every piece of food processing equipment has been directly impacted by not being able to get certain electronics for the controls or components for pumps, valves, and other ancillary parts.”

In response, food & beverage processors are carefully evaluating new markets even as they ramp up their expansion efforts. This involves identifying markets with fast-growing demand, lucrative tax incentives, quality real estate, proximity to major cultural and logistical hubs, and reliable contractors and utility providers. Align these factors, and supply chains become shorter, construction faster, worker attraction/retention higher, and operations more efficient and cost-effective.

Learn more about Gray’s services as the No. 1 firm for the food & beverage industry.