T
he specialty food industry could not exist without co-packers. Many com-
panies have decided that the "m" to invest in is marketing, not machinery.
When others make the products, the company can focus efforts on selling to,
and servicing, trade buyers and consumers.
BY RON TANNER
THE FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION
ACT AND CO-PACKERS:
What You Need to
According to the 2016 "State of the Specialty Food Industry"
report, published annually by the Specialty Food Association and
Mintel, 50 percent of SFA members do not own a manufacturing
plant. And even those that make some products themselves often
use a co-packer for line extensions. Salsa and tortilla chips may be
merchandised and eaten together, but they take very different types
of machinery to make.
To further complicate the situation, many SFA members that
manufacture also co-pack for other manufacturers or do private
labeling for retailers. Forty-one percent say that they co-pack for
other manufacturers and 57 percent report producing private label
food products, according to the report.
So how do the sweeping reforms of the Food Safety
Modernization Act affect those who are co-packed or do co-packing?
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food safety update
