MCLEAN, VA / ACCESSWIRE / August 21, 2019 / With the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis across many states in the U.S., processors are finding the need to update and buy quality equipment to help meet demand and maintain compliance. At PROCESS EXPO, food and beverage processing suppliers will have access to several education sessions offering insights from cannabis experts discussing food safety, government regulations, sustainability, and cost savings that can be implemented for immediate returns.

"With medical cannabis use on the rise, it seems only fitting that we incorporate it into this year's PROCESS EXPO," said Jarrod McCarroll, Chairman of the Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) and President of Weber, Inc. "We thank BNP Media's Cannabis Products magazine for developing these sessions and bringing our attendees high quality subject matter experts to share their knowledge." Sessions focused on cannabis, include:

• Cannabinoids as Functional Ingredients - featuring Justin Singer, Stillwater Foods (Tuesday, October 8 from 12:00 pm -12:45 pm)
• How to Break into Legal Cannabis Edibles and Beverages Product Development - Mike Hennesy, Wana Brands will discuss legal cannabis edibles and beverages brands, including confectionery, bakery and beverage segments (Tuesday, October 8 from 1:00 pm -1:45 pm)
• Improving the Supply Chain for Development of Legal Cannabis Edibles and Beverages - Lindsay Wisener, WiseBev will offer insights from an equipment and ingredient company working in the legal cannabis edibles and beverages market (Wednesday, October 9 from 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm)
• The Future of Integrated End to End Extraction Technology - featuring Matthew Anderson, Vanguard Scientific Systems (Wednesday, October 9 from 3:00 pm -3:45 pm)
• Unique QA/QC and Food Safety Considerations in Legal Cannabis Edibles and Beverages R&D - will be led by seasoned experts actively working in legal cannabis edibles and beverages R&D (Thursday, October 9 from 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm)

In addition to the sessions on cannabis at the event, PROCESS EXPO recently sponsored a webinar on Cannabis Products: A Discussion Of The Challenges In Production, Sale, And Marketing. Sharon Mayl of the FDA and Thuy Vu of Hammer Enterprises discussed how the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill has fueled competitive innovation of cannabis products derived from hemp amongst food and beverage manufacturers. Sharon provided an overview of FDA's role in regulating these products, FDA's activities in this area, and the challenges around these products. Thuy, who is a Director of Operations and Regulatory Affairs from the state of Colorado, provided information on this emerging industry and provided an overview of the different regulations from state to state, and how to identify and address food safety concerns of CBD, hemp-derived concentrates, and CBD-infused products. For access to the webinar, click here.

Additionally, FPSA, the organizers of PROCESS EXPO, will be hosting an additional webinar Medical and Recreational Marijuana: Strategies to Keep Up With Rapidly-Changing Laws on Wednesday, August 28. To register for this free webinar, click here

Attendance in these cannabis related sessions is free of charge for anyone registered to attend PROCESS EXPO 2019.

To register or for more information on attending the show please visit www.myprocessexpo.com. For more information regarding exhibiting at PROCESS EXPO 2019 contact Eliza Wetherill at eliza@fpsa.org or (720) 552-1494.

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The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) is a global trade association serving suppliers in the food and beverage industries. The Association's programs and services support member's success by providing assistance in marketing their products and services, overall improvement in key business practices and many opportunities to network among industry colleagues. Programs and services to achieve these objectives include PROCESS EXPO (industry leading trade show), electronic media marketing, education, market intelligence, research, and advocation of critical industry issues such as food safety, sanitary design of equipment, and global trade.

FPSA members are organized in vertical industry councils which focus on specific needs and concerns that are unique to each industry sector. FPSA councils currently represent the Bakery, Beverage, Dairy, Pet Food, Prepared Foods and Meat sectors.

For further information, Contact:

Andy Drennan
Senior Vice President, FPSA
703-663-1201
adrennan@fpsa.org
or
Amy Riemer
Media Relations Contact
978-475-4441 (office) or 978-502-4895 (cell)
amy@riemercommunications.com

SOURCE: Food Processing Suppliers Association