Manufacturing Outlook event takes pulse of food production

Over 200 attendees yesterday listened to panelists discuss food manufacturing at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Manufacturing Outlook, held at the University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act is something moderator Joe Reynolds, 2016 president of the Springfield Business Development Corp., believes President-elect Donald Trump will uphold.

The legislation passed by the Obama administration did not worry panelists Kurt Hellweg, chairman of International Dehydrated Foods; Jeff Hinds, vice president of food safety, quality assurance, compliance and grower support for Vital Farms; and Randy Tucker, manager of human resources for Dairy Farmers of America. They agreed that proactive companies and those keenly aware of their consumers will easily weather the changes.

Hellweg said the legislation was established to address foodborne illnesses in the United States.

“There hadn’t been anything to address it,” he said during the panel discussion. “The CDC said 48 million people were affected by foodborne illnesses in 2010. About 127,000 folks were hospitalized and they thought that it related to about 3,000 deaths.”

According to the FDA, the FSMA is the most sweeping reform of U.S. food safety laws in over 70 years. Hellweg said the legislation was created to ensure food safety not only domestically but also imported foods and ingredients.

Reynolds, who works as president of stainless steel manufacturer Central States Industrial, said the continued trend toward technology and consumer education will significantly shape the industry for years to come: People will want to scan a code on the package and know exactly that food product’s origin.

Trends toward healthier choices, organic foods and a higher protein diet also were discussed. Vital Farms’ Hinds said the company’s goal is to educate consumers about the legal definition of free range, which is far different than the Vital Farms method where each chicken is allowed 108 square feet outside. The company has avoided having a single case of avian influenza thanks to using small, spread out farms and two crews who regularly inspect the properties.

An increased need for education also was a theme.

“The technology that is driving and taking over a lot [of jobs], there is still a human element that is out there,” Tucker said.

Hellweg said instead of humans controlling the machines, now computers are controlling the machines, but humans with electrical, welding and programming skills still are needed to keep those machines functioning.

“What Springfield can do is start looking at that skillset and making sure that we have that in our education system so that we are raising a generation who can fulfill those manufacturing jobs,” Hellweg said.

According to chamber data, manufacturing employment has increased incrementally in the Queen City – from 13,448 in 2011 to 14,762 in 2015.