Processing's Weekly Mixer: Robotic food processing, legal action against food giants and more

High-speed robotic food processing from PACK EXPO

One of the highlights of attending industry events is having the opportunity to see technologies in action on the show floor.

At PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2025, Automation World Editor in Chief David Greenfield had the opportunity to see Fanuc America's DR-3iB/6 stainless-steel delta robot and SR-12iA/C SCARA robots in action as part of a live sausage packing application demo. 

Wes Garrett, executive director, global accounts at Fanuc America, spoke with Automation World at the event to provide more insight and information about the robots used in the sausage picking and packing demo in the video below.

Food processors face lawsuit

From Food Processing: The city attorney for San Francisco this week filed a lawsuit against the largest manufacturers of ultra-processed foods in the United States, including Coca-Cola Co., Conagra Brands, General Mills, Kellogg Co., Kraft Heinz Co., Mars Inc., Mondelez International, Nestle USA, PepsiCo and Post Holdings.

According to the article:

“The proliferation of ultra-processed foods in the American diet has been linked to a host of serious health conditions, imposing untold health care costs on Americans, as well as cities and states across the nation,” San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said in announcing the lawsuit.

“The lawsuit alleges the food industry knew that their products were making people sick, but they continued to devise and market increasingly addictive and harmful products in order to maximize profits.”

Acid mine drainage: Mining’s water challenge

From Water Technology: Acid mine drainage is a persistent global challenge for mining and legacy sites. Active treatment systems and centrifuge technology are transforming sludge handling, water recovery and environmental compliance in mining operations.

Here is a recap of all of the content that appeared on Processing this week.

Articles

Functional safety at scale: Safeguarding one of the world’s largest ethylene plants

Inside Chevron Phillips Chemical’s pursuit to build not just the largest, but the safest ethylene and polyethylene facilities in the world.

Managing device diversity for operational continuity and performance at field level

Addressing device diversity through field device management is central to sustaining operations and preparing for greater autonomy.

Podcast

Optimizing your fluid system with the right valve technology

This In Processing segment, an audio version of an article from Swagelok's Matt Dixon, reviews valve classifications, P&ID symbols and performance factors to improve safety and efficiency in small-bore fluid systems.