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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Editor's Note: Food Processors’ Grow Sales, Overcome Challenges

New safety regulations, shifting consumer preferences, and finding the right talent are just some of the challenges food processors are facing as their sales continue to grow.

2016 Food Processing
According to WeiserMazars’ 2016 U.S. Food & Beverage Industry Study, most food and beverage companies anticipate a significant increase in sales this year. Sales are expected to increase 14 percent, say survey respondents who were drawn from more than 200 companies across the food and beverage industry sector.

One particular concern to both small and large food and beverage companies is the Food Safety Modernization Act and the many new regulations the act spells out. Companies need to take more preventative measures to ensure food safety, rather than being reactionary when problems arise. New automated methods of data collection and analysis are helping food and beverage companies to achieve the goals of achieving food safety while also protecting their businesses.

Consumers’ demand for more fresh and organic foods is another challenge for the food and beverage industry. Over the past decade, consumption of fresh foods has grown by more than 20 percent. Consumers want to know where their food is coming from. This presents unique challenges for this industry’s supply chain, which is unlike that of any other industry. Both the point of manufacture and the point of sourcing of raw materials need to be taken into account when setting up distribution centers.

In addition to these considerations, finding the right talent and partnering with researchers/universities and other entities come into play. Innovations and opportunities in the food and beverage industry have made the job of finding the right location more important than ever before.

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