The 26th Annual Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium — held for the first time in Tampa, Florida — offered attendees an in-depth look at the latest in automation technology, packaging sustainability and food manufacturing.

Hosted April 14-16 at the Hilton Downtown Tampa, the two-day event also allowed attendees many opportunities to network, build connections and share industry insights.

The educational sessions ranged the gamut, from additive manufacturing and new facilities to women in food engineering, with many topics in between.

Automation in Food Manufacturing

Automation Alley CEO Tom Kelly delivered the first day’s keynote address. He spoke on the impact automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing can and will have on manufacturing.

Kelly noted manufacturers may have trouble making up their minds on how to use AI and automation, so they put it off and end up falling further behind.

Kelly also noted that “the worst AI will be is right now,” meaning AI will keep improving and have more applications for its use. 

Sous Vide Cooking

Stampede Culinary Partners President and CEO Brock Furlong spoke on how his company uses sous vide cooking to provide clients with safe, quality products. Furlong called sous vide a “revolution,” as the method is gaining popularity across the food industry.

Furlong noted Stampede Culinary Partners does not have a price list, as the company will create custom projects for its clients.

Furlong also said Stampede Culinary Partners, which processes beef, chicken, turkey, pork and eggs, among other products, is poised to grow. Citing a Schaefer market study, Furlong said 65% of surveyed retailers and foodservice operators are not buying sous vide products today, but of those purchasing sous vide, 90% plan to purchase more.

Women in Food Engineering

In a panel discussion moderated by FOOD ENGINEERING Editor-in-Chief Alyse Thompson-Richards, Shalima Sreenath, head of downstream processing for Cellibre, and Samara Heaggans, director of process quality engineering for Feastables, discussed working as women in food engineering.

Sreenath mentioned many people are not used to women running industrial and/or technology companies, but being aware of that unconscious bias would help.

Heaggans also recommended that if a company notices many younger, female employees leaving, it should look at its culture, be prepared to make changes and offer support, empowering those employees to stay in the future.

Processor of the Year 2024

FA&M recognized the 2024 recipient of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Processor of the Year award. Cafe Spice is a family-owned food manufacturer supplying Indian, Asian and other cuisines for hot bars and foodservice operations nationwide, including Whole Foods and Kroger.

Cafe Spice’s Sameer Malhotra, Ryan Bakst, Virgilio Felix and Giovanni Gomez participated in a panel led by Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Editor-in-Chief Kelley Rodriguez. Before the discussion began, Malhotra, CEO and co-founder, spoke a bit about the company’s new plant in Beacon, New York.

The new facility — Cafe Spice’s second plant in New York — is in its first phase out of three, with the third phase likely beginning in mid-2027.

Packaging Sustainability

Clemson University’s Dr. Andrew Hurley delivered the second day’s keynote address. Hurley spoke about sustainability in packaging.

Hurley showed the audience the results of a study in which consumers were asked which material was the most environment-friendly out of four choices. The material people thought was the most environmentally-friendly was actually the least environment-friendly, and their perceptions changed when some data was added to the options they could choose from.

One of Hurley’s main points was that U.S. consumers do not receive a benefit to recycle, or as he put it, “there is a negative incentive to recycle anything in the U.S.” Hurley mentioned many groups profit from recycled materials, but consumers are not among them. However, he said AI could help incentivize consumers to recycle, whether that is by paying consumers for recycled materials or a different solution.

FA&M 2025 in Rewind

Highlights from the 26th annual Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo.

Listen to more From the Cold Corner podcasts.  

Expanding for Goldfish

Jason Roethig and Tony Hernandez of The Campbell’s Company followed with a presentation on the expansion of the company’s Richmond, Utah, facility for manufacturing Goldfish crackers. The plant remained functional throughout the expansion despite the renovation taking two years.

While construction was ongoing, the area around the plant received 129 inches of snow, which led to some challenges in the renovation. The Campbell’s Company invested $160 million in the project, creating 85 jobs and adding 107,382 sq. ft. to the facility in the process.

In addition to the renovation, The Campbell’s Company partnered with a milling company to build a flour mill next to the facility. This allows the company to use fresh, local wheat in the Goldfish crackers.

Plant of the Year 2025

FA&M closed with the presentation of the 2025 Plant of the Year award. Carolina Foods, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was recognized for its new honey bun and doughnut bakery in Pineville, North Carolina.

CEO Dan Myers and COO Stuart Smith discussed the limitations of its original bakery and the design process for its new facility.

Though Carolina Food began manufacturing at the Pineville plant in 2024, the bakery is set to be fully complete in 2026.