Process Expo, produced by the Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA), is said to be the nation’s largest trade show that features technology and integrated solutions for all segments of the food and beverage industry. More than 600 food processing and packaging exhibitors will display machines, products and offer demonstrations in 220,000 square feet. The expo runs from Sept. 19 through 22 in Chicago at McCormick Place.

This year’s educational program includes over 30 hours of educational sessions including a special food safety program put on by BNP Media’s Food Safety Summit.

This year, exhibitors will make presentations about their entries in the Innovations Showcase and Award Program. Showgoers will vote for their favorites and winners will receive a People’s Choice Award. A panel of editors from industry trade publications selected 21 semi-finalists. There are three finalists in seven categories, including dairy foods and beverages. 

All 21 finalists will present their innovations on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 1:30 p.m. during the Innovation Awards program. A panel of processor judges will then choose one winner in each of the seven categories.

The 21 finalists will also make 20-minute presentations of their products on Wednesday and Thursday. Showgoers can vote for their favorite on the Process Expo app or on voting machines in the Showcase area. The winners, to be announced on Thursday, will receive the People’s Choice Awards.

 

The Dairy Zone

The equipment-focused show will feature a special Dairy Zone with suppliers who understand the needs of dairy processors. Attendees can learn about dairy equipment, sanitation solutions, new ingredients and flavors.  Some education sessions that are of interest to the dairy industry include: Upgrading and Replacement of Legacy Designs; Total Cost of Ownership (Lifetime Cost and Equipment Upkeep); and Milk Pricing.

What’s new?

New to the Process Expo hall is the Virtual Reality Showroom where attendees can see equipment up close and even climb inside. A number of exhibitors will be demonstrating their machines through virtual reality goggles.

Also new are lounges on the show floor to facilitate networking. The show will be scheduling 30-minute niche meet-ups in these refresh & recharge lounges.

Feeding the Hopper is a new educational concept at the show. It will feature 20-minute presentations and provide interactive discussions on food and beverage industry news and trends.

 

Sessions of interest

• Tuesday, Sept. 19, 11:10 a.m. — Invisible Factor Affecting Your Food Processing Operations + How to Tame It
• Tuesday, Sept. 19, 1:50 p.m. — Controlling Allergens in Your Plant
• Wednesday, Sept. 20, 10:20 a.m. — Using Wireless Sensors to Ease QA time, Increase Safety, and Save Energy
• Wednesday, Sept. 20, 12:30 p.m. — Navigating the Labeling Mine Field
• Thursday, Sept. 21, 10:10 a.m. — Principles in Hygienic Design of Industrial Food-Cutting and Handling Equipment

A beer garden will be open from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day where attendees can sample food from local Chicago restaurants. There will also be an ice cream social in the Dairy Zone on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m.

On Wednesday, Sept. 20, the expo will feature the Executive Forum, an invitation-only program that provides C-level food processing executives the opportunity to address a number of topics with industry experts and fellow CEOs. This program will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

There will be several receptions and other networking events taking place during show. To learn more about these and other programs, register and get travel information, visit www.myprocessexpo.com.   

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Exhibitor List

Company............................................................. Booth

Admix, Inc............................................................... 176

AGC Heat Transfer Inc........................................ 2521

Anritsu Infivis Inc.................................................. 1819

Bentley Instruments............................................. 4326

Best Sanitizers, Inc.............................................. 4206

BNP Media........................................................... 1780

Breddo Likwifier Division of Ensight.................. 1667

Defeat Hunger...................................................... 4229

Extrutech Plastics, Inc......................................... 3209

Flowtrend.............................................................. 1679

FPSA Booth.......................................................... 4028

GEA Group........................................................... 2634

Mettler Toledo Safeline........................................ 1431

Pentair................................................................... 2515

Powder Process -Solutions................................. 2622

SPX Flow Inc.......................................................... 812

Tel-Tru Manufacturing Co.................................... 819

Weber, Inc.    260

This is a partial list. See www.myprocessexpo.com for a complete list of exhibitors.

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FPSA’s Defeat Hunger campaign gives back to Chicago

The FPSA launched the 2017 Defeat Hunger campaign in late March and it’s scheduled to run through the last day of Process Expo. This campaign, which included a $75,000 commitment from the FPSA Foundation, has garnered a significant amount of attention from FPSA supporters with the goal of addressing food insecurity in Cook County, Illinois, through FPSA’s collaboration with the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

The campaign consists of a virtual food drive on the FPSA’s online portal for donations, as well as a food drive onsite at Process Expo from Sept. 19-22. BNP Media, the publisher of Dairy Foods, donated $2,500, which will help provide approximately 7,500 meals. Since the first campaign in 2013, Defeat Hunger, in conjunction with the Greater Chicago Food Depository has provided over 560,000 meals to the people of Cook County.