James Armstrong, senior vice president of emerging business at SeaCube, discusses how portable, scalable cold storage reefer containers are filing a critical operational need.

A little over 10 years ago, Peter Fox opened the North American subsidiary of Germany-based SOMIC Group. A 35-year veteran of the packaging industry, Fox has worked for Kraft Foods, the Pillsbury Company, Delkor Systems and Interpress Technologies. He was named CEO of SOMIC Packaging in 2021. Last year, SOMIC Packaging moved to new headquarters in Minnesota, quadrupling workspace to 48,000 square feet and allowing assembly of all new North American purchased machines. In North America, SOMIC has installed hundreds of end-of-line packaging machines with about 60% of their equipment placed with manufacturers using a refrigerated environment. Fox joins From the Cold Corner to discuss end of line and retail ready packaging for the refrigerated and frozen foods market and more. 

From supply constraints on eggs, rising cocoa prices and damaged citrus crops, to ingredient disclosure regulations, recalls and changing consumer demands, cold foods processors and manufacturers face challenges at every stage of the production process. Eimear Robertson, chief technical officer for Kerry NA, leads the research, development & applications and regulatory & scientific affairs teams in North America. She shares some of the ways F&B manufacturers are meeting market expectations through reformulating products to reduce sugar and sodium, improve flavors and enable fresher foods.

Kelley Rodriguez, editor in chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods and content manager for FA&M, Alyse Thompson-Richards, editor in chief of FOOD ENGINEERING and Michael Levitt, editor of FOOD ENGINEERING, unpack highlights from the 26th annual Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo.

As consumer and regulatory pressure put plastic in the spotlight, the next few years looks to be pivotal in the area of food packaging. What are the key drivers in developing packaging and what should cold processors and manufacturers know to prepare for looming legislation and its impact on refrigerated and frozen food packaging. Kellie Alvarado, director of sustainability at Anchor Packaging, joins From the Cold Corner to unpack the latest in sustainable plastic packaging for the cold foods industry.

ERP and MES - Enterprise Resource Planning AND Manufacturing Execution Systems – two pieces of tech that can have a powerful impact on F&B processing and manufacturing. MES helps bridge the gap between the shop floor and enterprise systems, ensuring real-time visibility, control, and optimization of manufacturing processes. Meanwhile, ERP integrates business functions across the organization, streamlining operations from finance to supply chain management. Jim has nearly 30 years specializing in computer systems that provide operational capabilities and analytic tools to drive profit maximization, competitive advantage, and customer satisfaction for F&B manufacturers.  Join us as we unpack how these two systems work together to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and drive growth for cold and frozen food manufacturers.

Founded in 1980, the Refrigerated Foods Association is celebrating 45 years as the coolest association on earth. R&FF met with leaders at the 2025 conference in Orlando to learn more about RFA and how it serves the refrigerated prepared foods segment.