The Food Processing Suppliers Association

What The Food Processing Suppliers Association does

The Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA), previously known as the Food Processing Suppliers Association, is a U.S.-headquartered nonprofit trade association founded in 1983 (legal entity in McLean, Virginia). It serves the North American food processing and packaging industries by convening original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), food producers, service providers/associates, and consultants across eight verticals (Proteins, Beverage, Bakery, Prepared Foods, Confectionery, Dairy, Pet, and Cannabis). With a core staff of 1–10 and a 100+ member base that includes Alfa Laval, Tyson Foods, Perdue, Multivac, Mettler Toledo, JBT Marel, and Cybertrol Engineering, FPSA is positioned as the sole association spanning the full food production stack.

FPSA's product portfolio is organized as a digital-platform-plus-programs model. The proprietary FPSA Connect online community platform (launched November 2025 alongside a redesigned website) supports year-round engagement across six sector councils (Bakery, Beverage, Dairy, MISA, Pet Food, Prepared Foods) and five professional networks (Design-Build, Emerging Professionals, Food Safety, Packaging, Women's Alliance). In-person anchors are the EATS trade show (operated with Messe Frankfurt at McCormick Place) and the FSX executive conference (~200 senior leaders). Education and workforce products include the FIT Development Program (training food-industry technicians, supported via a Lincoln Tech / employer-sponsor partnership with Haas Automation, Hussmann, and Johnson Controls), the two-day Cultivate Leadership Growth Lab, and the six-month Emerging Leaders Program. FPSA also co-publishes market research with PMMI (2026 Processing State of the Industry Report, sold at $5,000/license to non-members), runs the Defeat Hunger campaign with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, administers scholarship programs, and hosts the Red Circle Honors Awards for women's leadership in food and beverage.

FPSA's revenue mechanics combine recurring membership dues across four tiers (OEM, Food Producer, Associate, Consultant), transaction-fee revenue from event registration and corporate sponsorships for EATS and FSX, one-time license fees for research publications, and professional-services revenue from leadership-development programs. The association also generates supplementary income from promotional/advertising opportunities on its channels. Strategic positioning emphasizes workforce development (responding to a self-identified gap where 75% of companies report leadership skill deficiencies at hire/promotion and 48% lack formal training), regulatory influence via 3-A SSI hygienic design standards working groups, and vertical expansion into Pet Food and Cannabis processing segments.

Name

The Food Processing Suppliers Association

Legal name

Food Production Solutions Association

Website

https://fpsa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA) is a U.S.-headquartered nonprofit trade association serving the food processing and packaging industries. It provides networking events (EATS, FSX), an online member community, workforce development programs, and industry research to 100+ member companies across OEMs, food producers, and service providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mclean

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from OEMs, food producers, associates, and consultants across the food production industry. Different membership tiers based on company type and size.
2. Industry Reports and Research: Sale of market research reports including the 2026 Processing State of the Industry Report co-published with PMMI. Members receive complimentary access; non-members pay for reports.
3. Event Sponsorships and Registration: Revenue from event registration fees and corporate sponsorships for FSX, EATS, Cultivate, and other industry conferences and educational programs.
4. Educational Programs: Leadership development programs including Cultivate and Emerging Leaders Program generate revenue through participant registration fees and corporate sponsorships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FPSA is a nonprofit trade association that provides membership-based networking, industry events, education, workforce development, and market research for the food processing and packaging industries. Its offerings connect food producers, original equipment manufacturers, service providers, and consultants through flagship trade shows (EATS), executive conferences (FSX), an online community platform (FPSA Connect), sector-specific councils, professional networks, leadership development programs, and industry research reports.

Product overview

The Food Processing Solutions Association (FPSA) offers a comprehensive portfolio of member services organized as a platform-plus-programs model. The core offering centers on FPSA Connect, an online community platform enabling year-round collaboration among food industry professionals. FPSA complements this digital platform with major trade events (EATS trade show, FSX conference), workforce development programs (Emerging Leaders Program, Cultivate Leadership Growth Lab, FIT Development Program), and industry-specific councils and networks. Research publications like the Processing State of the Industry Report provide market intelligence, while scholarship programs, the Red Circle Honors Awards, and Defeat Hunger campaign fulfill FPSA's philanthropic mission. The association serves food producers, equipment manufacturers (OEMs), suppliers, and service providers across all food industry segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EATS: Equipment, Automation, and Technology Show for Food & Beverage - North America's comprehensive gathering of food and beverage industry professionals featuring equipment showcases, demonstrations, and educational sessions.
• FSX (Food Solutions Exchange & Conference)
• FPSA Connect
• FIT Development Program
• Cultivate
• Emerging Leaders Program

Products and services

• FPSA Connect
• 2026 Processing State of the Industry Report
• EATS (Equipment, Automation, and Technology Show)
• Food Solutions Exchange & Conference (FSX)
• FIT Development Program
• Cultivate: Leadership Growth Lab
• Emerging Leaders Program
• Industry Councils
• Industry Networks

Quantifiable outcome

• 2026 Processing State of the Industry Report projects $6.7 billion US food and beverage processing machinery market by 2027
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• PMMIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026FPSA and PMMI co-published the 2026 Processing State of the Industry Report providing comprehensive data-driven analysis of the US food and beverage processing machinery market, including $6.2 billion market valuation and growth projections through 2030.
• Messe FrankfurtflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025FPSA partners with Messe Frankfurt to organize EATS (Equipment, Automation, and Technology Show), bringing together North America's most comprehensive gathering of food and beverage industry professionals at McCormick Place in Chicago.
• Greater Chicago Food DepositorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear-round Defeat Hunger campaign partnership bringing FPSA members together to combat food insecurity through volunteerism, fundraising, and hands-on service.
• Lincoln TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Lincoln Tech to provide skilled trades specialized training programs addressing national shortage of skilled technicians. Partner companies cover tuition and housing costs for accepted students in HVAC, electrical/electronics, machining, and manufacturing fields.
• Haas AutomationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining program partner providing employer-sponsored training at Lincoln Tech campuses for skilled trades workforce development.
• HussmannminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining program partner providing employer-sponsored training at Lincoln Tech campuses for skilled trades workforce development.
• Johnson ControlsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining program partner providing employer-sponsored training at Lincoln Tech campuses for skilled trades workforce development.
• Pet Sustainability CoalitionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAllied affiliate for Pet Food Processing Exchange 2026 event in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and AlliedsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAllied affiliate for Pet Food Processing Exchange 2026 event in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Pet Food InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAllied affiliate for Pet Food Processing Exchange 2026 event in Kansas City, Missouri.
• 3-A SSI (3-A Sanitary Standards Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on hygienic design standards updates. FPSA promotes 3-A SSI working groups for equipment manufacturers to contribute to standards for Silo Tanks, Batch Processors, Disc-Type Valves, Conveyors and Air Pressure.
• IntraloxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of CFS Institute North America training facility in New Orleans, the first stand-alone training facility for Commercial Food Sanitation offering Sanitation Essentials Training, Hygienic Design Training, and Advancing Sanitation Impact Training.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• North American Meat Institute: Trade association serving the meat processing industry with overlapping membership (Tyson, Perdue) and policy/research focus; FPSA's MISA Council represents a comparable member-services model within the meat sector.
• PMMI (Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies): PMMI is the leading North American association for packaging and processing technologies and a direct peer — it co-publishes FPSA's State of the Industry Report and serves overlapping OEM and supplier membership across the same equipment and machinery verticals.
• American Frozen Food Institute: Frozen food trade association comparable in membership model (producer and supplier dues) and event-driven engagement, addressing a food production vertical adjacent to FPSA's Prepared Foods Council.
• Pet Food Institute: PFI represents pet food manufacturers and is a peer in the pet food vertical — FPSA's Pet Food Council and Pet Food Processing Exchange serve an overlapping segment with similar member-engagement models.
• International Dairy Foods Association: IDFA is the trade association for the US dairy industry, directly comparable as a vertical trade group serving food producers and processors; FPSA's Dairy Council operates as a similar member-services vertical within FPSA.
• American Bakers Association: Trade association representing bakery product manufacturers and suppliers, comparable in structure (membership dues, events, advocacy) and overlapping with FPSA's Bakery Council membership base.
• SNAC International: Trade association for the snack food industry serving manufacturers and suppliers, structurally similar to FPSA with events, research, and member services targeting adjacent food production verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Messe Frankfurt: Global exhibition organizer and FPSA's EATS co-organizer; broader incumbent in trade show production serving multiple industries, comparable as a strategic partner and event-scale comparator for FPSA's flagship show.

Emerging players

• Commercial Food Sanitation (CFS) Institute: Food sanitation training provider partnered with FPSA through Intralox; an emerging peer in the food-safety training vertical where FPSA's Food Safety Network also operates, addressing adjacent workforce/training demand.
• 3-A Sanitary Standards Inc. Standards-setting organization for sanitary equipment design in food/dairy; FPSA promotes 3-A SSI working groups, making it an adjacent peer in food-safety standards development serving overlapping OEM members.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fpsaorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FPSAorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FPSAorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/food-processing-suppliers-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/fpsaorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Food Processing Suppliers Association