Manufacture Smarter Blog

12/21/2023 Food processors large and small help us pack, preserve, and share delicious foods across our state and nation. Industry 4.0 technology is making it possible for food manufacturers to streamline operations and enhance quality.

6/9/2023 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
As The Center’s Food Business Development Manager, I’ve had the pleasure of touring this wonderful state. Work has taken me from coast to coast visiting destinations from Pinconning to Saint Joe’s and everywhere in between.

3/3/2023 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
Governor Whitmer has proclaimed March as Michigan Food and Agriculture Month to honor and celebrate Michigan’s farmers and diverse products. Our state’s unique climate and abundance of water has provided the ideal conditions to grow and process some of the nation’s finest agricultural products. As a $105 billion industry, food and agriculture provides more than 800,000 jobs, which accounts for 17% of our state’s employment. Encompassing nearly 10 million acres of farmland, Michigan has more than 300 commodities and is the second most diverse agriculture state in the U.S.

12/11/2020 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
When building anything of quality or value, you must first start with a solid base. You can’t build a house without a foundation, you can’t assemble a car without a frame, and you certainly cannot develop and maintain a robust food safety system without the foundation of solid Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs).

4/24/2020 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
Public concern over health and safety is at an all-time high. Concerns about food are no exception as customers everywhere look for reassurance and peace of mind to know that what they’re consuming each day is safe. There are still many questions surrounding how to maintain food safety while working with or around food.

1/31/2020 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
Anyone with experience in the food processing industry would agree that a lot can go wrong when manufacturing food products. To ensure these food failures are identified and prevented ahead of time, Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) can help.

8/16/2019 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
By far the biggest buzz in the food industry in 2019 is the rise of alternative meat products. By why now? Some consumers are fueled by the desire to improve their diet by cutting back on their red meat consumption. Others are hoping to reduce their environmental impact by choosing more sustainable food options. With these goals in mind, let's see how these various meat alternatives stack up against each other and the real thing. 

2/1/2019 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
According to the Food & Drug Administration, every food processing facility is required to have a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) on staff to manage their food safety preventive controls program. Although not required, advanced training is encouraged to provide individuals with the skills needed to successfully navigate the complicated process of developing, writing and maintaining a Food Safety Plan.

8/10/2018 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
Everything we do as manufacturers, and food processors, can be described as a process.  FMEAs help identify what can go wrong within a process as you create, make or assemble your product. Although this is often associated with a manufacturing process, it can be applied to any process (which involves inputs being turned into outputs). FMEAs are used to analyze possible failures or risks, along with the potential severity, chance of occurrence and detection rate of each risk.

6/22/2018 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
In 2011 President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law, bringing about the most sweeping changes the food safety industry has seen in 70 years. This introduced the Food Safety Plan (FSP), which is the primary document that guides your Preventive Controls Food Safety System.