For the first time in the 24 years of Food Processing magazine’s Manufacturing Outlook Survey, food safety is not the top priority for the new year among manufacturing professionals with cost control edging it out.
Cost control’s 8.11 weighted score beat out food safety’s 7.67 score, when the 100 respondents to the survey were asked “Please rank … the importance to your plant of each of the following manufacturing issues.”
Food Processing reported that food safety was still ranked the No. 1 priority by the highest number of respondents (26%), but higher second- and third-place rankings for cost control (22% ranked it first) pushed it ahead in the weighted score. 23% ranked automation first, for a weighted score of 6.64 and third place among priorities.
The survey asked who thought their facility was prepared for the FSMA 204 food traceability rule, which at the time of the survey still had the deadline of January 2026. Most respondents (62%) answered in the affirmative. Respondents comments included “Never heard of it until this question” to proclamations that they will be ready or still working on the paperwork and training to comply.
One respondent said, “We are implementing new processes and investing in the required capital equipment in order to comply with the food traceability requirements.”
The survey covered many more topics than just food safety and you find read the full review of the survey on Food Processing.
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