Plant Operations
Monster Beverage Approves Buyback
November 14, 2012 9:42 am | News | CommentsEnergy drink maker Monster Beverage said Tuesday that its board has approved the repurchase of up to $250 million of its outstanding common stock. Earlier this month Monster Beverage Corp. reported that its third-quarter net income climbed but its revenue growth slowed.
Food Safety On The Job
November 14, 2012 8:30 am | Videos | CommentsChristina Blanchard works as a food safety and quality assurance officer in a produce packing facility. She discusses her background, her job and her commitment to producing safe, quality foods. She also dispenses advice to future professionals looking to enter the field.
Choose Your Weapons!
November 14, 2012 8:30 am | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutions | Articles | CommentsMost of us can name at least a generous handful of different business improvement or process improvement methodologies that have either come and stayed for a while or come and gone quickly. Some of us can even name a few that the rest of us have forgotten. With so much of a fad phenomenon in the improvement methodology track record, how do we choose one to adopt for our own needs?
Heinz Tops In Customer Satisfaction
November 13, 2012 12:36 pm | News | CommentsH.J. Heinz Company is pleased to announce that the Company ranked number-one in overall customer satisfaction among food manufacturers in the 2012 American Customer Satisfaction Index™ (ACSI). Heinz led food manufacturers for the 13th consecutive year.
Peet’s Coffee & Tea Names New CEO
November 13, 2012 12:33 pm | News | CommentsPeet's Coffee & Tea Inc. has named former Weight Watchers executive Dave Burwick as its new president and chief executive. Burwick will take on the role as head of the coffee chain on Dec. 31. He will succeed Patrick O'Dea, who is stepping down after more than 10 years as president and CEO. O'Dea will continue to serve the company as a member of the board of directors.
PepsiCo Opens R&D Center In China
November 13, 2012 12:31 pm | News | CommentsPepsiCo, Inc. today announced the opening of a new food and beverage innovation center in Shanghai, China. The state-of-the-art facility, which is PepsiCo's largest research and development center outside of North America, will serve as a hub of new product, packaging and equipment innovation for PepsiCo's businesses throughout Asia.
Diamond Foods To Restate Results
November 13, 2012 12:26 pm | News | CommentsShares of Diamond Foods climbed more than 10 percent Tuesday after the snack food company said it would finally release restated results for the past two years, and part of this year. Diamond Foods, which makes Emerald Nuts and Pop Secret popcorn, is cleaning up improper accounting of payments to walnut growers.
Calif. Greenhouse Gas System To Affect Food Companies
November 13, 2012 9:42 am | by JASON DEAREN,Associated Press | News | CommentsCalifornia's new "cap-and-trade" system is designed to control emissions of heat-trapping gases and to spur investment in clean technologies. Under the plan, the California Air Resources Board will auction off pollution permits on Wednesday called "allowances" to more than 350 businesses, including electric companies, food processors and refineries.
Hostess Closing 3 Bakeries Following Strike
November 13, 2012 9:38 am | by SARAH SKIDMORE,AP Business Writer | News | CommentsHostess Brands Inc. is permanently closing three bakeries following a nationwide strike by its bakers union. The maker of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Wonder Bread said Monday that the strike has prevented it from producing and delivering products, and it is closing bakeries in Seattle, St. Louis and Cincinnati. The facilities employ 627 workers.
Get Intelligent About Emerging Markets
November 13, 2012 9:37 am | by Pete Read, Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Analysis & Advisory and Rahul Dhingra, Senior Consultant at GIA North America | Articles | CommentsAny entry into emerging markets is fraught with uncertainties. There are no guaranteed winners. Take Carrefour for example. After an unsuccessful attempt to enter Brazil and its focus on the hypermarket model even as consumers buy more goods locally and online, its share prices have fallen since 2009.
Phthalate-Free Tubing
November 13, 2012 1:00 am | by Food Manufacturing Staff | Product Releases | CommentsTygon® S³ product transfer solution is the first bio-based and phthalate-free tubing. This flexible tubing enables food and beverage manufacturers to advance food safety and sustainability measures without sacrificing performance.
Poultry Industry Continues To Improve Worker Safety
November 12, 2012 12:56 pm | News | CommentsThe incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the poultry sector, which includes slaughter and processing, continues to decline, according to the 2011 Injury and Illness Report recently released by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Hostess Bakers Strike Across U.S.
November 12, 2012 12:50 pm | News | CommentsAbout a dozen workers began picketing at a Hostess Brands plant in Sacramento honoring a bakers' union strike at the bankrupt company's plants across the country. The picket line formed on Sunday, two days after the walkout began when the maker of Twinkies, Wonder Bread and Ding Dongs imposed a contract that would cut wages by 8 percent.
ConAgra To Expand Potato Plant
November 12, 2012 9:53 am | News | CommentsConAgra Foods Inc. plans a $200 million expansion at its Lamb Weston frozen potato plant in Boardman, Ore., which will create about 100 jobs. The food maker says Friday that the expansion will add a new line to the plant and increase capacity for making french fries and other frozen potato products as consumer demand continues to grow domestically and internationally.
Chicken Plant Shooter Was Mentally Unstable
November 12, 2012 9:41 am | by GOSIA WOZNIACKA,Associated Press | News | CommentsA Fresno County mental health evaluation in 2004 diagnosed suspect Lawrence Nathaniel Jones with intermittent explosive disorder, drug-induced psychotic disorder, and dependence on multiple substances including amphetamine, marijuana and alcohol.
Franklin Foods To Open Cream Cheese Plant
November 9, 2012 1:02 pm | News | CommentsA fast-growing cream cheese company is opening up a Casa Grande plant. The Casa Grande Dispatch reports that the Delray Beach, Fla.-based Franklin Foods is opening up its second company manufacturing facility and production is expected to begin in early 2013.
Snyder’s-Lance Shares Fall On Weak Revenue
November 9, 2012 12:58 pm | News | CommentsSnyder's-Lance Inc.'s shares fell Wednesday after the food maker's third-quarter revenue fell short of analyst estimates. The company, based in Charlotte, N.C., makes snack foods such as Cape Cod chips and Snyder's of Hanover pretzels. Snyder's earned $17.8 million, or 26 cents per share, for the quarter that ended Sept. 29.
Superhuman Workplace May Pose Risks
November 9, 2012 12:55 pm | by RAPHAEL SATTER,Associated Press | News | CommentsAcademics from Britain's leading institutions say attention needs to be focused on the consequences of technology which may one day allow — or compel — humans to work better, longer and harder. Here's their list of upgrades that might make their way to campuses and cubicles in the next decade.
Dean Foods Posts $36.4M Profit In 3Q
November 9, 2012 9:37 am | News | CommentsShares of Dean Foods Co. jumped Thursday after the company posted $36.4 million in third-quarter net income and boosted its full-year profit guidance. The Dallas-based food maker's profit amounted to 20 cents per share and compared with a loss of $1.54 billion, or $8.39 per share, in the same quarter a year ago.
Manufacturers Lead The Way To A Stronger Future
November 9, 2012 9:27 am | by Mark Hoper, Vice President of Expositions and Media, Fabricators & Manufacturers Association | Articles | CommentsInvestments in equipment are increasing across the board. That translates to more efficient production of the equipment that creates efficiencies for food production. New product and technology innovations, the status of the dollar in the international market, and the ability of the U.S. to export are advantages being leveraged. Manufacturing will continue to lead the U.S. out of this recession.
Monster Beverage Sales Slowed In 3Q
November 8, 2012 11:57 am | News | CommentsShares of energy drink maker Monster Beverage Corp. tumbled in aftermarket trading Wednesday after the company said its revenue growth slowed in the third quarter. Monster said its net sales grew 14 percent, about half the pace of growth in the previous three quarters. Its revenue fell $36.5 million short of Wall Street's expectations.
Wis. Bottling Firm To Pay $15M In Fraud Case
November 8, 2012 11:52 am | by JOE MANDAK,Associated Press | News | CommentsU.S. Attorney David Hickton of Pittsburgh said the largest financial penalty ever imposed in the 25-county federal court district in western Pennsylvania resolves allegations that Krones Inc., of Franklin, Wis., helped Le-Nature's officials deceive lenders about the cost of bottling equipment the soft-drink company bought from Krones.
Mondelez 3Q Revenue Drops 29 Percent
November 8, 2012 9:38 am | News | CommentsMondelez International Inc. said Wednesday its net income fell in the third quarter, as revenue took a hit from the stronger dollar in its first quarter as an independent company. Mondelez, formerly known as Kraft Foods Inc., makes snacks including Oreo cookies, Cadbury and Nabisco. It spun off its North American grocery business and changed its name Oct. 1.
Co-Workers Puzzle Over California Plant Shooting
November 8, 2012 9:35 am | by GOSIA WOZNIACKA,Associated Press | News | CommentsAs employees return to work Thursday at a chicken-processing plant that was the scene of a fatal workplace shooting, authorities and co-workers puzzled over what set off an ex-convict whose record had included mostly nonviolent crimes. Lawrence Nathaniel Jones, 42, had been in and out of prison since 1991 for crimes ranging from armed robbery to a car theft.
Thermal Processors Get Schooled
November 8, 2012 9:32 am | by Krystal Gabert, Editor | Articles | CommentsThermal processing is unique among food manufacturing techniques, as the heat applied to food products in such processes acts as a key component in flavor and product development in addition to performing an important food safety function. Training and guidance on proper thermal processing techniques are available to food processors looking to ensure their processes are safe and effective.
