It's the final days of the year, which means we're all inundated with countless "Top XX of the Year" lists. To that I say, embrace it. Even in such a tumultuous year as 2021, it's always worth taking a look back at the year that was.
2021 saw the start and growth of our now-popular Taste Test video series, in which we record our staff — which includes editors of other manufacturing trade publication editors here at Industrial Media — trying out samples of new food & beverage products on the market and giving their honest thoughts on them.
Below, here are the top videos published on Food Manufacturing during 2021. Some of these aren't specific to the food manufacturing sector, but were big enough to be of interest. Many of these include yours truly. As with nearly all news cycles, items involving safety incidents, fatalities and other bad things dominated in 2021.
- Dead Crewmembers Stuck Aboard Cargo Ships (published Nov. 23)
While not FM-specific, this item took off when it was picked up by a couple of popular syndicated news services. People are apparently interested in morbid news. - Taste Test: Arby’s Fries-Flavored Vodka (published Nov. 16)
- Meat Plant Workers Found Dead in Hazmat Incident (published Sept. 15)
- Craft Brewery CEO Sued for Misappropriating $100M (published Sept. 7)
- Maintenance Manager Takes Tyson for $416,000 (published May 19)
- Report: General Mills to Lay Off Up to 1,400 Workers (published June 10)
- Maintenance Worker Dies at Pork Plant (published Sept. 13)
- Processing Errors Cause Massive Beans Recall (published May 21)
- Ice Cream Plant Cited for Ignoring Issues That Caused Amputations (published March 17)
- Man Loses Finger at Tootsie Roll Plant (published Oct. 6)
- Juice Maker Shut Down Over 'Grossly Insanitary Conditions' (published Jan. 19)
- Bakery’s Sudden Closure Leaves 200 Jobless (published Nov. 17)
- Taste Test: Mikesell's Potato Chips (published Nov. 16)
- Tyson Caught Up in $244M ‘Ghost Cattle’ Scheme (published April 7)
- Coca-Cola Chemist Guilty of Stealing Trade Secrets, Espionage (published April 30)
- Co-Worker Fatally Stabbed at Iowa Pork Plant (published Feb. 19)
- Busch is Hiring a Dog Beer Tester (published April 20)
- Smithfield Workers Are 'Fed Up' (published Nov. 2)
- 39-Year-Old Wins Candy Factory in Scavenger Hunt (published Sept. 20)
- Plant Worker Sues Employer After Wife Dies from COVID-19 (published April 21)
- Fire Burns at Dried Milk Plant (published Oct. 15)
- Shooting at Pilgrim’s Pride Plant in SC (published April 27)
- Chicken Plant Blocked, Deemed 'Smelly Nuisance' (published June 9)
- Half of PepsiCo’s Office Staff to Work From Home Permanently (published June 17)
- Ohio Food Plant Fined $137K After Partial Arm Amputation (published March 4)
- Campbell's Soup Laying Off 326 in Georgia (published Jan. 18)
