The four-day show featured three fully functional production lines, the Innovation Showcase, and an educational program covering the most relevant industry topics.

Process Expo, the largest trade show dedicated to the food and beverage processing industry, opened on November 2, 2021, bringing back the in-person trade show experience and offering an excellent opportunity for attendees to build strong business networks and acquire knowledge and meaningful insights. This first post-pandemic edition was held in Chicago, from November 2-5, 2022, at McCormick Place.

Designed to promote a fully immersive experience, Process Expo featured a vast hall of exhibitors showcasing the latest in machines, products, technology, and services from all food and beverage processing and packaging industry segments, including bakery, beverage, cheese and dairy, meat, poultry and seafood, pet food, prepared food, cannabis edibles, and confectionery, and others.

During the first day of PE University sessions, experts from industry and academia discussed the impacts of the pandemic in the food production industry, highlighted trends and opportunities for CBD food and beverage products, and shared their points of view concerning the optics around the food and beverage processing industry.

On November 3, the PE University sessions started with „Tomorrow’s Foods Today: Plant-Based Proteins and Beyond” featuring panelists from The Good Food Institute, Rebellyous Foods, Reiser, and Planterra Foods; and a moderator from Alt-Meats Magazine.

Food for Thought continued on the second day of the Process Expo. Lining up field experts and curated speakers from leading companies, sessions featured the latest insights and perspectives regarding innovation, sustainability, safety, and technology. Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about alternative plant and cell-based proteins, what food processors need to know to protect their brand, challenges and the cannabis-infused food and beverage supply chain, how to ensure the best facility hygiene culture, and also how to select the proper pathogen modeling programs.

Thursday, November 4, the biennial Innovation Showcase competition highlighted the top technological advancements in processing for all industry segments in food and beverage. Category winners announced on Day One of the event were entered into the People’s Choice Award competition, in which the show-goers cast their vote for their favorite innovation. This year’s winner is OMEGA Engineering for their HANI Clamp-On Temperature Sensor, which uses a patent-pending platform comprised of multiple sensors and a proprietary algorithm to achieve the same accuracy (±0.5/±0.9) and fast response times as state-of-the-art invasive sensors without the cost and risk.

The show floor featured 400+ exhibiting companies from around the world, making Process Expo THE meeting place for processing and packaging professionals seeking the latest technology, advancements, and equipment. The event represented the pinnacle of food technology bringing together the world’s most successful food and beverage processors, packaging professionals, equipment manufacturers, and leaders in the field of academia.