John Foley, former Lead Solo with the Blue Angels, set the incredibly positive tone for the Refrigerated Foods Association’s Annual Conference & Exhibition, held last month in Amelia Island, Florida. Foley brought incredible energy and optimism, starting the event off with a powerful message focused on performing under pressure, cooperation, collaboration and bringing enjoyment to others through service and teamwork. Foley’s presentation included specific parallels to the issues and challenges faced by association members and related his harrowing experiences in the cockpit with the trials and tribulations of managing a RTE food business.
Other presenters and topics included Executive Vice President of Technomic, Patrick Noone, who addressed trends in foods; the annual Technical Update by Doug Marshall, Chief Scientific Officer at Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories; Professor Dr. Eva Almenar of the School of Packaging at Michigan State University, who addressed Plastics 101; Rick Gessler, vice president of Engineering at Delkor Systems, who provided valuable insights into using robotics to supplement the workforce in refrigerated food plants; and Dr. Pam Dalton, principal investigatory member at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, who gave an incredibly insightful presentation on lessons from COVID-19 with regard to the sense of smell.