A special thank you to Conference Co-Chairs Earnie Seibert, Sanderson Farms and Mary Kearney, Hirschbach Motor Lines. Thank you also to our 64th Annual Conference Sponsors and all of our Conference Volunteers. 

Our 2020 conference registration will open July 1, 2019 for Shippers and Receivers and August 1, 2019 for all others attendees.  

Food Shippers of America recognized the winners of our 9th Annual John J. Murphy Scholarship at our 64th Annual Conference. We congratulate each awardee on their hard work and dedication. 

John J. Murphy Scholarship Recipient: Dana Jutte - Danone North America - Parent: Ed Jutte
Runner-Up: Zachary White - C&S Wholesale Grocers - Parent: James Wright
Tied for 3rd & 4th Place: Garrett Greenfield - Batory Foods - Parent: Jason Greenfield &
                                        Lauren Sinik - Cargill - Parent: Steve Sinik
5th Place: Jaime Andersen - Conagra Brands - Parent: Janine Andersen
6th Place: Coleen Jutte - Danone North America - Parent: Ed Jutte

John Murphy was a supporter of Food Shippers of America both as a food manufacturer while at Borden Foods and then as the Executive Director for 14 years after his retirement from Borden in 1995.

Since 2011 Food Shippers of American has awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships to eligible applicants. For complete information on the John J. Murphy Scholarship requirements and our 2019 scholarship winners click here. 

Food Shippers of America recognized and contributed to the following organizations at our 64th Annual Conference:

In honor of our Veterans and their service:

In addition, contributions were also made to:

Click here to enjoy your 2019 Conference Photo Gallery from the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa. 

For a complete summary of the event winners, please click below.

Further solidifying its position as one of the Top 15 3PLs in North America, FLS Transporation announced February 14 its acquisition of Scott Logistics Corp. The acquisition leverages Scott's extensive carrier network with FLS' 30-year cross-border expertise to create a 3PL with $500 million in revenue.

Manufacturing.net
Customers will soon be able to track their canned tuna from origin to shelf using their smart phones. Bumble Bee Foods, North America's largest brand of shelf-stable seafood, announced their move to SAP SE's Cloud Platform Blockchain in tracing their Indonesian tuna from origin to consumer using QR coding on their product packaging.

Transport Topics
In a move to improve infrastructure for "generations to come," Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law this week the Rebuild Alabama Act which calls for a 10 cent fuel tax hike to be phased in over the next three years. Initially targeting roads and bridges throughout the state, a portion of the funds will also go toward financing improvements to the shipping channel at the Port of Mobile.

Food Engineering
The food industry requires many things, especially weighing equipment that is reliable and accurate to help attain consistency and batch uniformity. Here are best practices for the weighing process at your plant.

FreightWaves
More freight is going into the northern California markets from L.A than coming out. This increase of international containers coming in have exacerbated the connection between the northern and southern California freight markets as companies try to avoid increased tariffs by pulling in excess inventory.

Supply Chain Dive
Though still awaiting approval at the federal level, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed off on legislation that allows drivers as young as 18 years old to operate commercial vehicles interstate. Supported by the Colorado Motor Carriers Association and the American Trucking Association, Congress has yet to approve the DRIVE-Safe Act, a move industry experts believe will dramatically reduce the current driver shortage around the country.

The Packer
Scientists from research facilities in Florida and New York are studying how ultraviolet light can be effective at suppressing plant pathogens from damaging strawberries. The technology being developed will use the same type of ultraviolet light as water purification and microbiological sterilization systems. 

64th Annual Food Shippers of America conference sessions can be accessed via our website under Past Events or click here to access the 2019 Conference Session Data

Topics include hiring and compensation, shipper/carrier relationships, fuel and freight efficiencies and an economic update and analysis for the coming year. 

The Food Dive
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received pushback from the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) regarding the use of terms such as milk, yogurt and butter by marketers of plant-based, dairy-alternative food products. The FDA received more than 13,000 public comments from the NMPF requesting the labeling better reflect "proper disclosures."

Supply Chain Dive
With a move from single-use to reusable packaging, waste management company TerraCycle has partnered with PepsiCo in trial runs of their "closed-loop" system of packaging. "Loop" shifts ownership of the packaging to the product manufacturer. Products with waste-free packaging are purchased on Loop's site or program retailers, and after use, picked up by Loop, cleaned and sent back to the manufacturer to be refilled and shipped out again. The system is set to go live in New York and Paris later this year.