Even as we speak, the Pack Expo 2013 (http://packexpo.com/) is going on in Las Vegas, Nevada. This amazing show is expected to attract thousands of visitors from around the world. Over 1700 manufacturers will showcase their latest innovations in Food Processing and Packaging Equipment and the most intriguing bells and whistles. See the Roberts Technology Group website for the latest events and announcements.

What is amazing about the technical and sometimes way over-the-top presentation is the integration of easy cleaning and complete understanding (well, complete) of the newly required documentation of each company in the food processing and food safety process. The Food Safety Modernization Act from 2011, and compliance was expected by January 2013, requires that any owner, operator, or agent comply with a lengthy list of compliance issues, the breach of any of which could shut the doors on what would otherwise be a thriving operation.

Pack Expo: Packaging and Processing

The owner, operator, or agent in charge of a facility shall maintain, for not less than 2 years, records documenting the monitoring of the preventive controls implemented under subsection (c), instances of nonconformance material to food safety, the results of testing and other appropriate means of verification under subsection (f)(4), instances when corrective actions were implemented, and the efficacy of preventive controls and corrective actions.
“(h) Written Plan and Documentation.–The owner, operator, or agent in charge of a facility shall prepare a written plan that documents and describes the procedures used by the facility to comply with the requirements of this section, including analyzing the hazards under subsection (b) and identifying the preventive controls adopted under subsection (c) to address those hazards. Such written plan, together with the documentation described in subsection (g), shall be made promptly available to a duly authorized representative of the Secretary upon oral or written request.

Leave it to the ingenuity of the entrepreneurial spirit to now have major manufacturers come up with ways to more easily facilitate the recording of necessary documentation into the machinery performing the functions and easy access to all necessary parts for the “deep cleaning requirements” outlined by the FSMA regulations. This diagnostic approach and the associated reporting features are an amazing addition to an industrial industry that is certainly over-regulated and burdened with bureaucracy and red tape.

Congratulations to the men and women who have engineered these changes to help many industries comply with not only the regulators but also attempt to keep the prices of finished products down because compliance, or at least part of one, has been found. Now the only issue is whether the average manufacturing, food processing, or food handler operation can come up with the capital to invest in another piece of expensive equipment.

Equipment Leases is pleased to be in a position to help companies that need to acquire the latest in manufacturing and food processing equipment. We have seen a significant uptick in the number of inquiries for food packaging equipment leasing, food processing equipment leasing, any equipment necessary for food handling, and the variety of specialized equipment they all need to keep America as the most productive and safest food supply chain in the world.

Picture of Steve Hansen
Steve Hansen
Mr. Hansen is the CEO of Equipment Leases and manages all of the day to day operations. He has an extensive network of lenders that are invaluable partners in providing capital to the SMB market. He also has owned a web development agency for more than 30-years. In his career he has built more than 10,000 websites and sold many of his high trafficked sites to other larger agencies.