The Senate on Tuesday approved the biggest overhaul to the nation’s food safety laws since the 1930s. The 73-to-25 vote gives vast new authorities to the Food and Drug Administration, places new responsibilities on farmers and food companies to prevent contamination, and — for the first time – sets safety standards for imported foods, a [...]

Commodity prices are rising — driven by higher consumption, bad weather and investor demand — and Americans are starting to feel it in their pocketbooks. Be it a bushel of wheat from Kansas, a ton of rice from India or a barrel of crude from Saudi Arabia, prices for all manner of commodities are on [...]

Provident Packaging Team to Attend PACK EXPO PACK EXPO International is once again in Chicago and the Provident Packaging team will be attending October 31st through November 3 rd.  PACK EXPO International features more than 1,600 exhibiting companies with an expanded focus this year on packaging and processing solutions.  Our Packaging team will be exploring [...]

Pierre Foods, Advance Food Co., Advance Brands close deal on merger Pierre Foods, Advance Food Co., and Advance Brands have officially closed on their merger to form AdvancePierre Foods.  The combined entity has approximately $1.3 billion in net sales. To read the entire article click here.

Harvest Shocker Rattles Wall Street By SCOTT KILMAN And LIAM PLEVEN CHICAGO—The U.S. Department of Agriculture sliced its harvest projections for corn, soybeans and wheat, throwing fuel on a three-month-old commodity rally and deepening worries about rising food prices. The agency’s decision to cut its month-old corn projection by 3.8% startled traders, who had expected a far [...]

Egg farm inspector linked to earlier salmonella outbreak By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY Wright County Egg, one of the Iowa farms at the center of this summer’s recall of 550 million eggs, earned “superior” ratings for its facilities from a third-party auditor the past three years. Full article…http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-09-22-egg-companies-apology_N.htm?POE=click-refer

Come See Ron Olson Vice President, Packaging Engineering Provident Spend Management Thursday, 10/7 1:30 pm PET Strategies, New Orleans, LA Rigid Plastic Packaging and Auto Appearance: Lessons Learned in Supply Chain Management When Turtle Wax redesigned its iconic packaging for auto waxes, washes and other applications, it paved a new road to supply-chain cost savings [...]

Corn Prices Hit 23-Month High Wednesday, September 08, 2010 Corn prices rallied to a fresh 23-month high after a closely watched private crop forecaster called the abundance of U.S. grain supplies into question. Full article… http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/2010/09/corn-prices-hit-23-month-high.html

Report: Food Weathering Economic Storm Food & Beverage Packaging Posted: September 8, 2010 The food and beverage industry leads most others when it comes to weathering the economic downturn, with 49% saying their companies are “thriving and growing,” according to a recent survey by consulting firm RSM McGladrey. Full article…http://www.foodandbeveragepackaging.com/Articles/BreakingNews/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000896616

‘Green’ is Gold at Hormel’s New Plant by Rick Lingle Food & Beverage Packing Posted: August 6, 2010 Greenfield, sustainable plant showcases a 240 per minute tray-filling line for Compleats microwavable meals. History and technology converge in Dubuque, Iowa, where Progressive Processing LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corp., opened the company’s first new facility in [...]