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The role of food packaging, and subsequently repacking by wholesale food distributors, helps keep this vital supply chain safe and efficient.

“Think about it, without a regulated system of food packing processes, materials and systems, we would be no further ahead than if we were still in the dark ages,” says dry blending and custom packing company Dure Foods.

If you are a Texan, then you know that Blue Bell ice cream is high on the Lone Star State’s pantheon of beloved brands, sandwiched somewhere between Buc-ee’s and Whataburger.

You might also recall that Blue Bell was at the center of a high profile multi state listeriosis outbreak, a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with one of the 20+ species of the listeria bacteria.

Food sustainability may be the hottest topic in the food and beverage industry right now with public expectations growing daily to “get it right” for the future of the planet.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fighting that involves two countries that account for nearly 30 percent of the world’s wheat exports, has sparked food supply concerns around the globe with fears of grain shortages and escalating prices.

Ukraine, which has been called the breadbasket of Europe because of its key agricultural exports, reported in May that the country’s grain exports were down 64 percent year-over-year.

Maintaining a software tracking system for your business is no longer a luxury but a critical component that can keep you competitive in complex markets.

Flowers have been a go-to gift on Mother’s Day for more than 100 years, but beautiful bouquets from local florists in 2022 could be in short supply due to supply chain woes, labor shortages and inflation.

When it comes to “Food Fiascos” you need to start with the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) where lax sanitary conditions and unethical actions led to a 2008-09 salmonella outbreak that not only led to illness and death but bankrupted a $25 million company in months and sent its CEO to prison for 28 years in the stiffest penalty ever in a food-borne illness case.

In a final report issued in April 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that a strain of Salmonella serotype Typhimurium, linked to peanut butter sourced back to PCA processing plants, had sickened 714 people across 46 states with nine deaths reported.

A decade ago, the U.S. Grocery Manufacturers Association estimated that food fraud cost the global food industry between $10 and $15 billion per year and the problem has only accelerated since then.

“Fraud drains an estimated $30 to $40 billion every year from the global food industry. The Consumer Brands Association claims that roughly 10 percent of commercially produced food and beverage products are affected by fraud,” wrote TraceGains content marketing specialist Denis Storey in 2020. “But these figures only point to the initial economic cost of food fraud. There are the health costs to consumers poisoned by tainted food, not to mention the cost of the reputation hit on a brand when adulteration occurs.”

The Produce Marketing Association (PMA), the trade organization representing companies from every segment of the global fresh produce and floral supply chain, argues that artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way our food is produced.

“Advancements such as machine learning, image recognition, and predictive modeling are being used in food production to boost productivity and efficiency,” writes Vonnie Estes, PMA Vice President Technology.

Wholesale seafood vendors are under immense pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic as they find themselves in a marketplace driven by product shortages and pent-up demand.