A public-private partnership, the Food and Beverage Leadership Council Working Group, unveiled roadmap at the Northwest Food Processor Association’s Food and Beverage World Expo in Portland, January, 9 -11.

A working group of the Oregon Food and Beverage Leadership Council comprised of industry leaders, policy makers and economic development professionals, presented its Food and Beverage Industry Roadmap to an audience of approximately 100 industry stakeholders at the recent NWFPA Expo at the Oregon Convention Center.

The Roadmap documents that Oregon food and beverage manufacturing is an important economic driver. The industry contributes USD16.4bn in economic output (2014), which has increased 58.2% in the last 10 years.

Recommendations in the Roadmap

The Roadmap identifies a set of near-term, high-priority recommendations, including:

1) Strategic investments in public research and development facilities and capabilities;

2) An integrated plan to coordinate workforce training and academic preparation to better prepare Oregonians for industry careers;

3) Critical investments in the State’s transportation infrastructure;

4) An explicit value-added food and beverage manufacturing market development strategy, coordinated with existing state marketing efforts; and 5) better alignment between state and federal policies and regulations concerning food and beverage manufacturing.

The recent annual NW Food & Beverage Manufacturers Expo and Conference drew record attendance, including substantial numbers of individuals from food and beverage processing companies. Total attendees to the annual event numbered 3,700, the highest number ever, and 37% of those attendees were processors. The remaining attendees represented suppliers, service providers, industry experts and media.
Keynote speakers included Peter Skrbek, CFO of Deschutes Brewery; and Gary Jay Kushner, Ron Simon and Joseph Bottiglieri, a panel of litigators specializing in foodborne illness cases. In addition, Rod Wheeler, of the Global Food Defense and Asset Protection Institute, and a spokesperson for Fox News, presented workshops on creating a food safety culture.