Through the Line: Packaging and Processing

What happens when data-dense 2D codes push up against the packaging line speeds brands can't afford to slow down?Chief Editor Matt Reynolds and Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan preview the coding, marking, and labeling innovations heading to PACK EXPO International, tracing what they saw at PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Interpack Düsseldorf. Reynolds breaks down how print heads, inks, and vision systems are closing the historic gap between resolution and speed, why hardware companies are becoming software companies as codes carry more data, and where AI and anti-counterfeiting tech are quietly showing up across the show floor.

PMMI Media Group's chief editors, Liz Cuneo, Derrick Teal, Matt Reynolds, and Sean Riley sit down to  discuss a new scratch & sniff package, sustainable energy systems, and using AI fluency as a job hook. 

What's driving the pharmaceutical industry's forecasted addition of 19,000 jobs by 2034?An aging population, breakthrough therapeutics, and a push to reshore production are fueling major growth in domestic pharma manufacturing. While data science and cybersecurity roles are growing fastest, high-volume positions like packaging operators and chemists remain essential, and employers are racing to replace retiring baby boomers while upskilling workers for increasingly automated lines.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

What does it take for food manufacturers to move beyond checking regulatory boxes and into a fully data-driven food safety program?This episode breaks down FDA's 2026 priorities under its reorganized Human Foods Program, from tighter scrutiny of validated preventive controls to expanded traceability recordkeeping for high-risk foods. It covers the agency's growing focus on root cause analysis, allergen and chemical hazard controls, and a shift toward risk-based inspections that reward companies with strong food safety cultures.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

What if sustainable packaging no longer meant giving something up—no slower lines, no sacrificed shelf life, no compromise?Editor-in-Chief Matt Reynolds and Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan preview the sustainability, materials, and equipment trends set to define PACK EXPO International in Chicago this October. Mohan shares standout innovations from recyclable pharma blisters to high-barrier paper packaging that run on existing machinery, and digs into where paperization and compostable packaging are gaining real commercial traction versus where they still fall short.Download the complete Innovations Report on Packaging World.

What if the best healthcare packaging is the packaging no one notices?Editor-in-Chief Liz Cuneo sits down with Melissa Carter, Principal Director of Service Innovation at Abbott Cancer Diagnostics, to discuss the process of designing sample collection kits for phlebotomists, pathologists, and patients screening themselves at home for the first time. Carter traces a career path that ran from grocery store ads to a highly regulated industry, and explains why good packaging user experience should be invisible to the people using it.

Most pump damage doesn't happen while the pump is running. So where does it happen—and what does that mean for how a pump should be designed?Advances in hygienic pump designs are helping food and beverage processors improve sanitation, reduce downtime, and lower total cost of ownership while protecting product quality and supporting increasingly demanding production environments.This is an AI-generated podcast episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

Green has signaled olive oil on shelf for generations. So why did Deoleo put its extra virgin in a blue bottle?Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan sits down with Daniele Pucchi, Global R&D Packaging Manager for global olive oil producer Deoleo, and Jose Bonache, Corporate Affairs & Communications Director for the company. They discuss  Deoleo’s approach to packaging innovation, sustainability, and product protection. 

Why do rule-based inspection systems keep flagging perfectly good pharmaceutical packages as defective?AI-based vision inspection is replacing rigid, rule-based systems on pharma packaging lines, cutting false rejects by learning to tell normal variation from true defects. This episode covers gains in serialization verification and environmental adaptability, plus how these systems are increasingly tying into MES and IoT platforms to support automated, batch-level quality decisions.This is an AI-generated podcast episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

Why are more food and beverage processors mixing refrigerants instead of picking just one?As food processors rethink cooling from the ground up, ammonia, CO₂, and nitrogen technologies are each carving out distinct roles in faster, smarter, and more sustainable refrigeration systems.This is an AI-generated podcast episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

What does it take to move a bestselling supplement out of plastic and into paper, without consumers thinking they got a counterfeit?Senior editor Anne Marie Mohan talks with Eric Bell, principal packaging scientist at Nestlé, about the two-year journey behind Vital Proteins' switch from an HDPE container to the GPI Bordio paperboard canister. He walks through the scuffing and distribution challenges that forced a redesign of both the material and the packaging lines, and shares the lesson Nestlé learned about messaging the change clearly on pack.

What does it take to make medical waste disposal safer, faster, and completely mess-free?Editor-in-Chief Liz Cuneo talks with Ashleigh Hotz of SmartSolv and Victoria Robinson of Safetec about the water-soluble, biodegradable packaging behind Safetec's drop-in solidifier pouches, which let OR workers skip the cutting, measuring, and pouring that traditional packets require. They discuss how the technology improves worker safety and spill containment, its roots in AIDS-era infectious waste protocols, and how upcoming EPR regulations could make dissolvable materials a financial advantage as well as an environmental one.Watch the full featured interview on Healthcare Packaging.

How can food manufacturers scale innovation and reformulation efforts when a growing patchwork of state-level ingredient bans is reshaping what they can put on shelves?Food manufacturers are using digital twin technology, artificial intelligence, and advanced automation to reformulate products and maintain profitability as state legislatures ban synthetic dyes and additives like Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5, with several bans taking effect between 2027 and 2028. These technology investments enable companies to optimize processing, reduce waste, and scale new ingredient solutions while navigating regulatory uncertainty.This is an AI-generated podcast episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

What happens when sustainability moves from a late-stage checkbox to a live decision-making tool?Senior editor Anne Marie Mohan talks with Gayatri Keskar, global packaging material science leader at Kenvue, about the company's sustainability innovation profiler, a tool that lets developers weigh formulation and packaging trade-offs in real time. She walks through how switching OGX's bottle from PET to HDPE improved squeezability while unlocking recycled content and recyclability, and explains why Kenvue is now partnering with GreyParrot's DeepNest platform to understand what actually happens to its packaging once it reaches a materials recovery facility.Read the full featured article on Packaging World.

How can pharmaceutical packaging help researchers tell whether a drug failed or a patient just missed a dose?Sensor-embedded blister packs, NFC chips, and RFID tags are giving clinical trial researchers objective, time-stamped data on when investigational drugs are actually accessed, replacing unreliable self-reported adherence. The piece traces how this shift is improving data integrity and participant safety in decentralized trials, and how the same technologies are migrating into mainstream healthcare through smart dispensers, digital adherence tools, and anti-counterfeit packaging.This is an AI-generated podcast episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

What happens when decades-old lean manufacturing principles collide with today's machine learning push in food and beverage plants?Industry experts break down why data standardization, not model-building, is the real bottleneck to AI-driven waste reduction, from siloed IT and OT departments to inconsistent naming conventions across plants. The piece traces real-world wins in predictive maintenance and packaging-line bottleneck diagnosis, while making the case that scaling these gains enterprise-wide starts with people and governance, not more technology.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

How did Google reach its plastic-free packaging goal a year early, and what did the constraint teach them along the way?Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan talks with Joey Giacomini, packaging design engineer lead at Google, about the company's push to eliminate plastic from its hardware packaging. He explains how tackling the final holdouts—hang tabs, shrink wrap, plastic tape—led to a stronger, lighter fiber material and a more natural design aesthetic, and why Google chose to make its findings public in a downloadable design guide.Read the full featured article on Packaging World.

What will it take for the pharma industry to survive the National Drug Code (NDC) Rule?Editor-in-Chief Liz Cuneo recaps top takeaways from GS1 Connect, where industry leaders unpacked the FDA's coming shift to a standardized 12-digit National Drug Code and its ripple effects across barcoding, labeling, and supply-chain systems. The conversation also covered the expanding role of RFID and connected-product technology, and why strong data governance is becoming essential to compliance, traceability, and patient safety.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

What does it take to fix an unstable wastewater treatment system at a facility processing 2.9 billion lbs of milk a year?Michigan State University's Anaerobic Digestion Research and Extension Center partnered with MWC, a Michigan cheese and whey protein plant, turning the challenge into a capstone project for biosystems engineering students. Together, they diagnosed fluctuating pH levels and declining sludge activity, developed a strategy to stabilize operations, and are now working toward a fully circular water system at the plant.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

What happens when a packaging engineer becomes a company's entire EPR function—with no dedicated team, no enterprise software, and just Excel?Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan sits down with Charlotte Ashcraft of Just Born Quality Confections. Ashcraft shares how she built a state-by-state EPR compliance model from the ground up, starting with a summer-long physical audit of the company's packaging portfolio. She explains how that spreadsheet evolved from a reporting tool into a forecasting and planning system, and how AI tools now help her make sense of new state legislation in minutes rather than hours.Read the full featured article on Packaging World.

What were the top trends and takeaways from the latest PACK OUT event?The fifth anniversary of The PACK Out event highlighted a significant shift toward industry collaboration and sustainable development within medical device manufacturing. A primary focus of the conference was the redesign of healthcare packaging to better accommodate the complex needs of multi-user logistics.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

What does it really mean to design a facility for freshness?At Harvest Station Foods' new Loudon, Tenn. commissary, disciplined data analysis, USDA-ready room design, and a flexible layout let the facility consolidate deliveries and adapt to future product needs without sacrificing operational stability. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

What does it really mean to design packaging for everyone? Senior editor Anne Marie Mohan sits down with Deb Gokie from the Arthritis Foundation. They discuss how testing for arthritis and chronic pain conditions, disciplined attention to grip, strength, and dexterity can make products easier to use across the entire consumer base, not just those with accessibility needs.But inclusive design isn't just a matter of goodwill: consumers overwhelmingly say they'd pay more or switch brands for easier-to-use products.

What broader impact could compact syringe designs have on pharmaceutical supply chain efficiency going forward?Compact prefilled syringes developed by Pacto Medical reduce storage footprint by approximately 40% while maintaining the same medication volume and compatibility with existing systems, potentially lowering supply chain costs by roughly 35% through reduced packaging, more efficient shipping, and decreased sterilization requirements.Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

How does machine vision reduce waste and create real-time insights?Vision systems aren’t about adding more screens to the control room. They’re about eliminating preventable risk. When implemented thoughtfully, they reduce uncertainty. Vision systems replace assumptions with confirmation and turn delayed discoveries into real-time validation.This is AI-generated episode. Find the full featured article on ProFood World.

What role can cross-industry collaboration and emerging sorting technologies play in scaling flexible film recycling in the U.S.?Senior editor Anne Marie Mohan talks with Pranav Goenka chief advisor, global program development at the Alliance to End Plastic Waste about the organization's U.S. Flexibles Program and its report on flexible packaging recycling. Goenka outlines a three-step strategy—mapping end markets, designing targeted interventions across the value chain, and demonstrating solutions in partnership with communities and other organizations—to build trust and scalability into the system.Watch the full featured video on Packaging World.

How can packaging ease product navigation in high stress moments? The clean medicine brand Genexa recently underwent a significant packaging redesign to assist parents in making fast, informed decisions during stressful health crises. By replacing child-friendly illustrations with a symptom-based color-coding system, the company shifted its visual focus toward the adult purchaser while improving shelf navigation. The new design utilizes strategic white space and bold messaging to highlight clean ingredients alongside essential regulatory information and active drug components.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

How can a processor ensure consistent quality when managing high demand?To meet needs for both high output and consistent product quality, Bem Brasil installed a Key Technology processing line capable of running 30 metric tons of frozen potato strips each hour, with a layered sorting system to find and remove any defects.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

What are the dominant forces shaping packaging over the next decade?Editor-in-Chief Matt Reynolds sits down with Brian Wagner, co-founder of PTIS Global, to discuss how AI is reshaping packaging faster than expected. New PTIS research shows brand owners, data, and technical expertise will define who leads, and who falls behind.Find the full featured article on Packaging World.

As robots grow more capable, what does it take for manufacturers to integrate and optimize them successfully?Industrial robotics are transitioning from rigid, task-oriented machines to intelligent, autonomous systems capable of handling complex manufacturing environments. Learn how AI and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are revolutionizing production by enabling flexible, real-time adaptation to product variations and logistical shifts.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

How can protein processors stay on top of traceability?Manual tracking of inventory from animal receiving through regulatory checks and all the way to warehousing and shipping can take diligent record-keeping. Bar-W Beef, a beef producer based in Nephi, Utah, avoided this traditional paper-based tracking by starting with a VistaTrac supply chain traceability system from day one.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

How does PackSense, an AI-powered system for product quality insights, address the gap between controlled testing and real-world experience?Editor-in-Chief Matt Reynolds sits down with Michigan State University (MSU) student Jordan D'Amario and MSU professor Dr. Euihark Lee. They discuss how AI is turning online reviews into actionable packaging data. MSU research shows how brands can pinpoint failure points, quantify consumer frustration, and prioritize redesigns using real-world feedback.Read the full featured article on Packaging World.

Will digital labels transform healthcare packaging?The Sunrise 2027 initiative marks a global shift in the pharmaceutical industry fromtraditional barcodes to advanced 2D digital labels and QR codes. This transition aims to modernize the healthcare supply chain by improving traceability, reducingadministrative errors, and providing patients with real-time medical information. While some regions have already mandated electronic labeling, others currently utilize a hybrid model that combines digital features with traditional paper inserts. Technologies like Digital Display Labels are especially transformative in clinical trials, as they allow for instantaneous updates to dosage and safety data without the need for manual relabeling. Ultimately, these digital innovations foster a more patient-centric approach by enhancing treatment adherence and streamlining the delivery of essential medicines.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

How does adding flexible automation allow Café Spice to improve production and deal with labor woes?The need to improve precision, throughput, and flexibility leads to an automated RaaS solution that offers greater profitability. The company saw an opportunity to go beyond typical end-of-line automation and target portioning and pre-packing—one of the most labor-intensive and quality-sensitive points in the process.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

What new demands is automation placing on packaging performance and testing?Packaging World Editor-in-Chief, Matt Reynolds, sits down with  IBM's Bill Green and ISTA's Eric Hiser to discuss how e-commerce, automation, sustainability, and data are reshaping packaging design. Meanwhile emerging automation requirements for the Walmarts of the world are raising the stakes for pack testing and performance.Watch the full featured video on Packaging World.

How is end-of-line automation reshaping high-volume medical product distribution?Medline Industries partnered with Ranpak Holdings Corp. to deploy the Cut'it! EVO right-sizing system and Form'it! automated case erector at its distribution operations. The shift eliminated a manual pack-out bottleneck downstream of Medline's AutoStore goods-to-person picking system, with workers now picking directly into automatically formed trays that are lidded and sealed further down the line. This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

How can food processors balance automation adoption with workforce retention and morale?In its modern plant in the Antioquia area of Colombia, the global food producer integrates collaborative robotics to boost productivity, safety, and well-being—without losing sight of its human and sustainable character.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

What were some of the biggest takeaways from the summit?Senior Editor, Anne Marie Mohan, sits down with representatives from Google, Nestlé, Kenvue, and Just Born Quality Confections to discuss paperization, sustainable design, and AI as EPR preparation tool.Find live coverage from the summit on Packaging World.

How do the sterility assurance gaps reflect broader challenges in medical device and pharmaceutical packaging compliance?More than 3.1 million bottles of lubricating eye drops were recalled because products weren't properly tested, meaning sterility couldn't be verified. However, passing a sterility test doesn’t guarantee that a whole batch of product is sterile. It only confirms that no microbes were present in the sample.This is an AI-generated podcast episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

How does proactive and predictive maintenance practices help food processors do more with less?Maintenance is often viewed as a necessary cost, an unavoidable overhead to keep production moving. But in times of economic uncertainty and capital constraints, it’s time to reframe maintenance not as a cost center, but as a strategic lever.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

How are new tools, in conjunction with AI, helping engineers at Google?Packaging World Editor-in-Chief Matt Reynolds sits down with Ken Leung, Senior Mechanical Engineer at Google, to discuss high-speed imaging and AI-driven analysis for packaged data center hardware. Leung explains why traditional testing methods may be missing the point because of changes to the products they're meant to protect.Read the full featured article on Packaging World.

How does a transition from a disposable, prefilled autoinjector to a reusable pen change user experience?Editor-in-Chief, Liz Cuneo, sits down with Lucy Baldwin, Head of Research and Design at Ensera Design. They discuss why when it comes to medical devices, safe isn’t the same as usable, and usable isn’t the same as equitable.Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

What does it really mean to design for change in food and beverage processing?Disciplined process design, sanitation strategy, and modular thinking can enable frequent changeovers without sacrificing stability. But, the pursuit of extreme flexibility can backfire, and the most adaptable systems are often those that place clear boundaries around complexity.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on ProFood World.

What's behind the sudden surge in packaging robotics—and is it here to stay?Senior Editor Anne Marie Mohan sits down with A3's Alex Shikhany to unpack the latest robotics data, including a notable end-of-2025 spike in packaging, picking, and placing applications and the rise of collaborative robots to nearly 20% of total orders. They discuss workforce shortages, e-commerce growth, and how SKU proliferation are pushing manufacturers toward more flexible, accessible automation. Watch the full featured video on Packaging World.

What is the key innovation introduced by Cadence OTC’s UTI Relief Kit?The healthcare company Cadence OTC has developed a comprehensive UTI Emergency Relief Kit designed to provide an immediate, organized response to urinary tract infections. Listen in to hear more about this dual-package design held together by a shrink-wrapped cover card that emphasizes user clarity through intuitive labeling.This is an AI-generated episode. Read the full featured article on Healthcare Packaging.

Durante cuatro días, EXPO PACK México 2026 reunirá innovación, networking yanálisis técnico en un solo lugar. El evento líder de la industria conectará soluciones con decisiones. Descargue la edición especial de feria de Mundo EXPO PACK y optimice su visita.Este es un episodio generado por inteligencia artificial. Lea el artículo completo en Mundo Expo Pack.

What does it actually take to build a world-class food manufacturing facility from the ground up?Editor-in-Chief Derrick Teal sits down with Matt Pulskamp, Vice President ofOperations at Custom Flavors, and David Sawicki, Vice President of A M King to continue the discussion of the company’s East Coast expansion in Concord, N.C. The group unpacks how a lean manufacturing mindset, phased build-out strategy, and a shift to design-build delivery helped them finish under budget and on schedule, while earning top marks on BRC AA and kosher audits. 

Why are brands commitments to contract manufacturing and packaging deepening in 2026?Editors Joe Derr and Matt Reynolds sit down to discuss the waves of success contract manufacturers and packagers are experiencing in 2026.  Brands are showing increased confidence in external manufacturing partnerships and clearer strategic priorities, according to the 2026 Annual Outlook Report.Read the full annual outlook report on Packaging World.

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What trends and insights have PMMI Media Group editors seen in the past week?Editors Liz Cuneo, Matt Reynolds, Sean Riley, and Derrick Teal sit down to discuss what’s come across their desks this week. They cover Amazon's flywheel of growth, healthcare recalls, and Mike Rowe's insights into worker retention.Watch the full featured video on Healthcare Packaging.