Chicago’s McCormick Place will be the site of a mega trade event Sept. 15–18 featuring the Food Processing Suppliers Association’s PROCESS EXPO 2015, the International Dairy Foods Association’s International Dairy Show and NürnbergMesse North America’s InterBev Process. Together, the three shows will offer more than 800 exhibitors and occupy more than 300,000 net square feet of the convention center’s North and East halls.

Like all food industry professionals attending these co-located events, bakers and snack producers will find plenty of equipment, ingredient and supply solutions at PROCESS EXPO 2015. Attendees can also check out the latest advancements in food processing technology, packaging materials and systems, food safety and sanitation, and more to help them maintain and grow their business. And they’ll find solutions from other food segments—meat, dairy and prepared foods—that they’ll be able to incorporate into their products to help give them a competitive advantage in their market. 

As in past years, education will be an integral component of PROCESS EXPO 2015. This year’s PROCESS EXPO University includes more than 35 hours of sessions by academics from 15 of North America’s leading universities. Free for all registered attendees and held during the trade show, the sessions will cover topics of interest to professionals across the food industry. Several sessions will also be presented in Spanish.

Topics of possible interest to bakers and snack producers include:

•  “Extrusion Processing” by Steven Weier, general pilot plant manager, The Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
•   “Food Allergen Control Strategies” by Joseph L. Baumert, Ph.D., Food Allergy Research & Resource Program, Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
•   “Food Industry Trends and Process Technologies—Differentiating Your Product in the Competitive Marketplace” by Lou Cooperhouse, past president, New Jersey Business Incubation Network, and founder, Rutgers Food Innovation Center, Rutgers University, Bridgeton, NJ
•   “Hygienic Design of Food Processing Equipment—Opportunities for Improving Food Safety” by Mark Morgan, Ph.D., professor of food process engineering, director of the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG) Authorized Test Institute, and head of the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
•   “Where Have All the Bakers Gone?” by Dave Krishock, Bakers National Education Foundation (BNEF) professor, Department of Grain Science and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhatta

Debuting at PROCESS EXPO 2015 will be the Innovation Showcase. Located in booths 5850 and 6055 in McCormick Place’s North Hall, the self-guided poster exhibition is designed to help food and beverage professionals identify the latest innovations in food and beverage processing and packaging. “Between PROCESS EXPO, the International Dairy Show and InterBev Process, we have over 1,000 exhibiting companies that offer a wide range of manufacturing solutions for the global food and beverage industries,” says David Seckman, president and CEO, FPSA. “The Innovation Showcase helps narrow the scope a little for attendees and better target the products they are looking for.”

Returning to PROCESS EXPO this year is the Defeat Hunger Campaign, part of FPSA’s Giving Back initiative. The 2015 food drive was launched this spring with a $75,000 donation from the FPSA Foundation and involves a variety of partners, including FPSA members, local food processors, PROCESS EXPO exhibitors and the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Through Sept. 18, PROCESS EXPO attendees can donate nonperishable food items to help GCFD fight hunger in the greater Chicago area. For more information about the campaign and how to participate, visit www.fpsa.org/defeathunger.

 For more information about PROCESS EXPO 2015 or to register, visit www.myprocessexpo.com.