2009 Technical Meeting Highlights Located in Fort Worth, Texas, the 2009 ADS Technical Meeting delivered education, knowledge, and networking to almost 190 participants! The meeting, held at The Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas, April 26 – 28, included a wealth of timely industry information and numerous networking opportunities. Noteworthy topics ranged from sustainable packaging options and gums for dressings and sauces to crisis management and economic implications for the food industry. Also featured at the Technical Meeting was the much-anticipated Information Open House, an informal tabletop exhibition designed for manufacturers and suppliers to meet and review a multitude of products, services and needs. In addition, the New Products & Services Presentations were presented to introduce exciting (perhaps revolutionary?) must-haves in the industry. Monday’s SessionsMonday’s session opened with the Executive Technical Board (ETB) Chair, Jackie Kane of The Clorox Company, officially welcoming attendees and providing a glimpse at successes in the dressings and sauces industry, and the abundance of opportunities to win, place or show within the ADS membership and at the Technical Meeting. Following Ms. Kane’s presentation, the floor was turned over to ADS Chair, Steve Dabrow, Chelten House Products, Inc., who announced the dates of the 2009 Annual Meeting (October 10-12) as well as many exciting enhancements to occur during the meeting. Session presentations included the following: The first speaker on Monday was Clausen Ely, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Covington & Burling and ADS’ legal counsel. He provided attendees with an update of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new leadership and its impact on fiscal years 2009 and 2010 budgets. Mr. Ely addressed recent food contamination incidents (Salmonella in peanut products and melamine in pet food). He also provided updates on food safety legislation and principal legislative provisions and noted activities occurring under the focuses of Bisphenol A in food packaging, food labeling/health claims, China food safety, and California’s Proposition 65. Brian Muehl, Alcan Packaging, Inc., presented “Sustainable Packaging Options.” Mr. Muehl began his presentation by noting the three pillars of sustainability: economics, social, and environmental. He also noted major retailers’ sustainability initiatives include three core areas (climate, waste reduction and products) and a focus on the seven “R’s” (remove, recycle, reduce, reuse, revenue, read, and renew). He added that societies without sophisticated packaging lose half their food before it reaches consumers; for example in the U.K., there is an approximate 3% of waste in the food supply chain – in India the percentage is more than 50%. Mr. Muehl noted flexible plastic packaging is a sustainable option as it: is cost-effective, efficient at product protection, and has the ability to alter shelf life, reduce waste and lower the environmental footprint. Wanda Jurlina, CP Kelco, next gave an overview of “Gums for Dressings and Sauces: Is Xanthan Gum Always the Answer?” She addressed the use of hydrocolloids in dressings and sauces and reviewed the uniqueness of xanthan gum in product development. She also noted xanthan gum’s key properties which include high elastic modulus, high pseudoplasticity, pH/temperature/enzyme stability, strong interaction with galactomannins, cold soluble, organic (some even consider it to be natural), and salt stability after hydration. In addition to xanthan gum, Ms. Jurlina reviewed other gums used in dressing and sauce development: carrageenan, cellulose gum, gellan, guar, pectin, and propylene glycol alginate. The final speakers on Monday, Dr. Arjen Sein and Otis Curtis, DSM Food Specialties USA, Inc., gave an interesting presentation titled “Enzyme Modified Egg Yolk – Unique and Innovative Opportunities for Dressings & Sauces.” The presentation discussed the introduction of enzyme (Phospholipase A2 [PLA2]) modified egg yolks into the food industry and opportunities for dressings and sauces. Some key benefits to using enzyme modified egg yolk (EMEY) include improved emulsifying properties, firmer texture, creamier mouthfeel, options to reduce ingredients, increased stability at higher temperatures, pasteurization options, and resistance to temperature abuse. Tuesday’s SessionsTuesday’s sessions began with Rick Cristol, Kellen Company, who provided insight on “Crisis Management: Handling Difficult Questions Made Easy.” Mr. Cristol kicked off the morning with an unexpected statistic: Fifty percent of CEOs surveyed admitted their companies did not have a formal crisis management plan. Mr. Cristol next took a look at key components of crisis prevention: philosophy and mindset, risk reduction, vulnerabilities audit, busy versus necessity, and the importance of getting every department in the company involved. In addition, he reviewed types of crises and potential outcomes if a company is not fully prepared. “Keeping Up and Getting Ahead in the ‘New Normal’ Economy” was next presented by Dr. Marcia Mogelonsky, Mintel International. Dr. Mogelonsky’s presentation noted that while the current financial situation is being called a ‘paradigm shift,’ it’s viewed as a major lifestyle change by consumers. Though it’s a very different type of recession we are dealing with, it still involves the domino effect seen in past recessions; increased unemployment and food prices and decreased housing prices and interest rates – which all lead to decreased consumer confidence. According to Dr. Mogelonsky, consumers are scared and have lost confidence in the economy as well as their ability to keep their homes, stay employed, and maintain a level of comfort for their families. But they haven’t given up yet. She indicated consumers still spend some of the time and are interested in quality and creativity. Perry West, Automated Vision Systems, Inc., presented “Using Vision System Technology to Reduce Risks.” Mr. West opened his presentation by identifying common risks that affect manufacturing companies: foodborne pathogens, product quality/market share, and lost productivity. He identified machine vision as the automated acquisition and analysis of images to obtain desired data for controlling a specific activity. He then noted the components of machine vision and how they work to assess and reduce risks: a source of illumination, camera(s), a lens, a processor, and software that controls the processing of the image to obtain the desired data. Machine vision can be used in the dressings and sauces industry for color and texture inspection, plastic bottle inspection, seal surface inspection, closure inspection and defects, fill level, label inspection, and batch code inspection. Following the presentation, attendees completed a vision system technology survey, and the results will be used by the Portion Control/Flexible Packaging Committee to generate ideas for a project in this area. Results will be shared with ADS members soon. The final speaker on Tuesday was Jackie Kane, The Clorox Company, who spoke about “Assessing Product Risk.” In her presentation, Ms. Kane reviewed types of risks noting that if (1) technical risk exists in the presence of (2) manufacturing risk, the impact on (3) marketing risk could result in (4) financial risk. As such, completion of a thorough “qualitative risk assessment” will provide information necessary to support “data-based decisions” which help to avoid “risk” or to manage “incidents” when they occur. Ms. Kane added that it’s important for every company to define a detailed process that includes all activities required to complete an in-depth formula review. The “Food Safety & Recall Workshop: When Good Food Goes Bad” was held Tuesday afternoon. Angie Lawless, RQA, Inc., opened the workshop with an overview of product recalls, the impact of such recalls, and an approach to more effectively manage them. She also reviewed the internal (product complexity and customer/consumer diversity) and external (global regulatory framework and more educated consumers) factors affecting recall risk. Attendees then formed small groups to analyze recent situations, decide on a recall classification and offer ideas on how to manage them. ADS‘ Tuesday Night Dinner and Networking Event Attendees donned cowboy boots and western attire and headed out to the historic Fort Worth Stockyards for a closing reception and dinner at Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s largest honky tonk. Following finger lickin’ Texas barbecue, the dance floor beckoned guests who wanted to get their feet wet with the Texas Two Step, while others enjoyed additional networking opportunities while taking in the bravado (and skill) of those who chose to kick up their heels. Dressing, Sauce and Package of the Year; Information Open House; New Products and Services Presentations Attendees tasted all contestants for the 2009 Dressing of the Year during Monday’s luncheon and the 2009 Sauce of the Year during Tuesday’s luncheon. Be in attendance at the 2009 Annual Meeting in Dana Point, California, as the winners will be announced. Nine new products were featured during the New Products and Services Presentations held on Monday. This year, attendees selected the top four products deemed to be the most relevant to the dressings and sauces industry. The top products include: CP Kelco’s GENU® Pectin BETA, PURAC America’s Preservation Toolbox (Microbial Growth Model), Saladizer® Max by TIC Gums, Inc., and Novation 4300/5300 by National Starch Food Innovation. These four products will be highlighted on the ADS Consumer’s Web site in the near future. The Information Open House featured 66 companies as members presented their products and services in an informal tabletop display. This popular event provided a unique opportunity to embark upon new business relationships while sharing important knowledge regarding the industry’s latest products. Attendees also had the opportunity to vote for the 2009 Package of the Year award. Look for the winner to be revealed in October during ADS’ 2009 Annual Meeting in Dana Point, California! ADS Committees at Work The ADS Board of Directors, the Executive Technical Board and a number of working committees also met in Fort Worth to review priorities, determine new projects and discuss issues important to the industry. Committees that held meetings included: Consumer Awareness Committee; Emulsion Committee, Membership Council, Portion Control/Flexible Packaging Committee; Quality Assurance Committee; and the Supplier Advisory Committee. ADS Technical Service Award WinnerCongratulations to Yvonne Stuchell, Archer Daniels Midland Company, who received the 2009 Technical Service Award in recognition of her dedication to the advancements of ADS’ technical programs by her participation on the Quality Assurance Committee, Emulsion Committee, Portion Control/Flexible Packaging Committee, and Consumer Awareness Committee. ADS Technical Achievement Award WinnerThe Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was presented with The Association for Dressings & Sauces’ (ADS) 2009 Technical Achievement Award for their commitment to addressing issues related to food allergens. Dr. Steve Taylor was present to accept the award on the group’s behalf. Future MeetingsBe sure to mark your calendar now for the following upcoming ADS meetings: 2009 Annual Meeting 2010 Technical Meeting 2010 Annual Meeting |
