In a trend report issued by CareersInFood.com, the following key areas are expected to be hot topics in the food processing industry in 2015.
Innovation: Innovation is the key to meeting growing needs and expectations. Innovative solutions help food processors enhance product development, which can offer a variety of products that are more cost effective. Innovation is also implemented in the installing of high grade and efficient equipment.
Energy Efficiency: This has been a rising concern amongst customers for the past few years. Healthy food is part of a new lifestyle that more and more people are choosing. Consumers are expressing concern, hence food processors are conserving energy and working on more cost effective product development.
Organic and Natural Foods: Rising health awareness has increased the demand for organic and natural products. Producing natural and organic food products is more challenging for food manufacturers, as they need to invest more in organic and natural manufacturing and handling operations.
A Refrigeration Strategy: Storage strategies and methods have come a long way in the past few years. There have been developments made by food manufactures to suit their customer’s needs and Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates. There are certain rules which must be taken into consideration for storage including the effect on the atmosphere and the consumer. Currently, food processors need to install R-22 refrigerants. Skid-mounted refrigeration systems are a new, innovative storage system which replaces ammonia with CO2.
China – A Potential Investment Prospective: China’ market has been a new market for food investors due to the growing demands for food safety, concerns of contamination and local procedure. The U.S. food industry has maintained its grasp on food quality and food safety, and as a result customers from China are ready to pay higher prices for their food.