Sal Calandra Elected to ISBT Board of Directors

MURRAY HILL and NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J., July 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sal Calandra, Head of Quality & Food Safety of Linde LLC, was elected to the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT) board of directors where he will serve for a minimum of three years.

"ISBT plays an important role in establishing guidelines for the beverage industry. As a member of the board, I look forward to engaging with others in the beverage and gases industries in responding to new challenges and opportunities," said Calandra who chaired ISBT's Beverage Gases Committee for the past four years. "I was also very pleased to see the Compressed Gas Association and the European Industrial Gases Association represented at ISBT this year. Collaboration between these organizations will be critical to further enhancing safety and quality for the beverage industry."

The committee recently developed new quality guidelines for nitrogen that were published last month. Nitrogen is primarily used for non-carbonated beverage production. A single drop of liquid nitrogen added after beverage filling quickly expands as a gas to create a more rigid bottle. In addition to shipping advantages, this can also enable thinner-walled plastic bottles to reduce packaging and waste. 

Calandra, who has been an active ISBT member since 2003, was one of three elected to the board at BevTech 2015. The international beverage industry conference was attended by about 40 percent of ISBT's growing membership, according to ISBT Executive Director Larry Hobbs. ISBT is the premier technical society for the beverage industry, with more than 800 members worldwide. As the only international society dedicated solely to the scientific and technical aspects of soft drinks and beverages, ISBT provides a unique, non-competitive forum for networking with other experts in the field at a technical level.

Calandra also chairs the Food Gas Committee of the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) of which Linde is a member. As Head of Quality & Food Safety at Linde, he manages Linde's food safety system and the quality systems for carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and argon. His responsibilities include leading Linde's Food Safety Management System and Quality for all bulk carbon dioxide (CO₂) plants and air separation facilities.  He and his team provide customer support, audit management, incident investigation and troubleshooting. He also supports the quality of bulk products for Linde's Electronics and Specialty Gas business. 

Linde LLC supports the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and the advancement of food safety. Linde has a Food Safety Management System in place for all bulk carbon dioxide (CO₂) plants and air separation facilities supplying the food & beverage industry in North America. In June 2012, Linde became the first supplier to certify all of its CO₂ plants to a benchmarked GFSI scheme, FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification).

About Linde in North America
Linde LLC is a member of The Linde Group.  In the 2014 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of  USD 17.9 bn (EUR 17.047 bn), making it the largest gases and engineering company in the world with approximately 65,500 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, visit www.lindeus.com

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SOURCE Linde North America, Inc.

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