The COVID 19 pandemic was and continues to be one of the most significant challenges the food processing industry has ever faced with respect to employee health, supply chain and logistics, and consumer wants and needs among other issues. Our webinar series does not get into the details of the pandemic situation but touches on many of the ramifications and impacts the issue has and continues to have on the food processing industry.   

  

Trends that were apparent before the pandemic such as consumer preferences for healthier food have grown stronger. For example, Ms. Paula Martin, a culinary medicine expert from the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities offered insight into what food processors should know how to meet these changing consumers’ preferences. More importantly, the impact food processors can have on people’s health and well-being by shifting to healthier, clean label processing.   Other speakers from Michigan State University addressed how shifting to healthier food products can lead to success.   

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The Future Food 21 Conference featured key speakers that address these sustainability issues such as Mr Tom Manske, the Director of External Partnerships-Sustainable Packaging Innovation from the Kellogg Company; a speaker from the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator who will review advancements in Israeli packaging technology; a sustainable energy asset manager from Generate Capital that owns the Fremont Regional Digester, and experts from utility companies that will offer insights about achieving more energy-efficient operations or using alternative energy sources to achieve sustainability goals.