Food Manufacturing and Warehousing
The food manufacturing industry is a huge market in Tennessee with 1,688 registered processing manufacturers and warehouses. When these companies succeed Tennessee’s economy succeeds. Understanding a company’s stage of development is important in order for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) to focus business planning and technical assistance resources to promote their success. Whether the company is a large facility or a small “Mom and Pop” operation, TDA specialists in food safety from the Consumer and Industry Services Division and food marketing from the Business Development Division offer assistance to these businesses.
Processed foods are altered from their natural state for safety reasons and for convenience using methods such as canning, freezing, refrigeration, dehydration, aseptic and pasteurization processing. To that end, food sold in Tennessee must come from an approved source that is under inspection and permitted by the appropriate regulatory authority with some exceptions.