Over 500 leading companies will offer the latest equipment for food and beverage processing and packaging during this fall's PROCESS EXPO, and many will be chosen as finalists to present their technology in the Innovations Showcase and Awards Program, giving attendees the opportunity to see cutting-edge solutions. 

PROCESS EXPO will bring together the world's most successful food and beverage processors, packaging professionals, equipment manufacturers, and leaders in academia from October 8-11, 2019, at Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center. This biennial trade show and conference is owned and organized by the Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA), a global trade association serving suppliers in the food and beverage industries. For more information and to register, visit www.myprocessexpo.com.

"The top reason food processing and packaging professionals attend PROCESS EXPO is to learn about products and services that are new in the industry," said Jarrod McCarroll, chairman of the Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) and president of Weber, Inc."Attendees are invited to join us at the Showcase where they will learn about the newest innovations from leading industry companies. This Innovations Showcase was launched during the 2017 event and was very well received by both the attendees and the exhibitors. It is highly competitive and gives attendees a great cross section of innovations hitting the market in all vertical segments." 

All PROCESS EXPO exhibitors are invited to submit their entry for the Innovations Showcase and Awards Program by July 1, 2019. Entrants are encouraged to submit their entry by June 17, 2019, to be included in the online Innovations Showcase Gallery, earning them pre-show exposure. Once all entries are submitted, a panel of editors from leading industry trade publications will select three finalists in six vertical markets, including bakery/snacks; beverages; dairy; meat/poultry; prepared foods, fruits/vegetables; and pet foods.  

On October 8, 2019, finalists will give a 3-minute presentation to a judging panel of leading industry buyers. Awards will be presented to the winner in each category. In addition, attendees will vote for the People's Choice Award on site, and the winner will be announced on October 11, 2019. Winning products will be selected based on the following criteria: innovative distinction from other products/equipment currently available in the food processing industry; provides benefit to the food/beverage industry, processor, and/or consumer; disrupts the status quo to better serve the industry; provides practicality of implementation; and provides value to the customer. 

The PROCESS EXPO trade show floor will span 220,000 square feet, and will feature equipment, machinery, and demos for buyers in all vertical industry sectors, including bakery/snacks; beverages; dairy; meat/poultry; prepared foods, fruits/vegetables; confectionery, candy, and sweets; and pet food and treats.