From its ancient Mediterranean roots, mint throughout history has been widely used for its medicinal properties, as it is rich in vitamin A, C and other healthy minerals. 

Inclusion Technologies LLC has just introduced an all-natural and non-GMO version of their 100% nut-free Nadanut™ nut analogs.

SK Food International introduces AncientGrisps to its extensive line of Premium Quality Ingredients.

Accurately weigh 0.5 to 50 gram portions at up to 120 per minute using the new Ishida Micro multihead weigher from Heat and Control, Inc.

Campbell Soup Co. plans to reorganize its businesses into three divisions, each headed by a president. In addition, Irene Chang Britt, president–Pepperidge Farm and senior vice president–Global Baking and Snacking, will leave the company.

Educational sessions, networking opportunities and a robust exhibition featuring ingredients, products, equipment, services and more are in store at the biggest event in snacks.

The new logo reinforces the snack manufacturer’s focus on premium branded snacks.

The new division will focus on developing innovative snacks and capitalizing on emerging consumer trends.

Great Plains Holdings Inc. will acquire 51 percent of Bonjoe Gourmet Chips LLC, as well as have to option to acquire another 20 percent interest in the gourmet chip maker.

Roberto Marques will be responsible for leading Mondelez International’s $7 billion business in the U.S. and Canada.

POP Gourmet Foods, Tukwila, WA—a manufacturer of high-end popcorn products, as well as chips and croutons—maintains an international customer base in mass merchandise, warehouse/club, specialty and traditional grocery, foodservice, airlines and hotels, among others.

Pirate’s Booty Carrot Snacks are the newest non-GMO product from Pirate’s Booty.

SexyPop has added another unique flavor to its line of gourmet popcorn: Pineapple Habanero.

Barbara’s has expanded its portfolio of Non-GMO Project Verified foods with the addition of Barbara’s Better Granola, available in Oats & Honey and Dark Chocolate Cranberry.

Cheez-It, a Kellogg brand, has ventured into the chip aisle with the introduction of Cheez-It Crunch’d, its first cheesy puff.

Rickland Orchards, a B&G Foods brand, has launched CLVR Bars.

Doritos, a Frito-Lay brand, has taken its popular Jacked product line to a new dimension with the introduction of Jacked 3D tortilla snacks.

G.H. Cretors has launched a 70-calorie bag of its two organic flavors, Extra Olive Oil and Simply Salted.

Kellogg Co.’s new chewy Special K Snack Bars are all made with golden rolled oats and have 100 calories each.

Pamela’s Products’ new line of gluten-free Grahams brings the beloved iconic snack to the gluten-free community.

Cape Cod Tortilla Dipping Shells from Cape Cod Potato Chips let consumers easily scoop their favorite chip toppings.

Mary's Gone Crackers MiNiS are bite-size, gluten-free graham crackers in the shape of the sun, the moon, stars and hearts.

Borden Cheese GOOD2GETHER snacks, made and distributed by Dairy Farmers of America, combine real cheese and mini pretzels in a portable container.

Available until July 31, Hostess Brands’ Sea Salt Caramel Cupcakes have a sophisticated flavor sure to delight dessert connoisseurs.

Each 10-oz holiday-themed bucket includes two 2-oz bags of Haribo Goldbears and two bags of Orville Redenbacher’s Butter Microwave Popcorn. 

Nearly unheard of a decade ago, the gluten-free market has grown exponentially in recent years. According to the Packaged Facts report, “Gluten-Free Foods and Beverages in the U.S.,” this product group showed a 30% compound annual growth rate between 2006 and 2010, and the category is expected to balloon to more than $5 billion by 2015. These increases are a reflection of the development of new gluten-free products as well as the conversion of existing gluten-containing products to meet consumer demand.

We all know that little things can add up to big savings, and many of those little things are bakery basics in the plant. When was the last time you checked your compressed air system operating pressure or the flame on your oven burners? If you can’t remember, then it’s time to get back to the basics and keep tabs on things we might be taking for granted. A little preventative maintenance can go a long way.

Whether you are a banker or a baker, we all need WOO. WOO, otherwise known as “Window of Opportunity,” is that moment when we can make a difference, make a sale, influence an employee or teach a new hire.

A baker’s dozen is a familiar expression that has been around for generations and even centuries. Why has the baker’s dozen continued on as a perpetual phrase? For ideas, products, even industries to perpetuate, they must connect to a sense of truth or emotional certainty. There are two values the baker’s dozen phrase aligns with, no matter what the conception. Those two values are integrity and generosity.

The gluten-free (GF) market is booming and becoming very competitive.  

Get ready for some very hard, yet rewarding, work. Being an agent of change for the better is always rewarding, no matter what the industry, profession or hobby. Anything worth accomplishing is going to take a lot of work—just look at what we have seen at the recent Summer Olympics.

I recently conducted an online survey, asking gluten-free consumers whether breads, rolls, sweet goods and other baked products on the market today meet their expectations for taste, texture and nutritional quality. 

If your customers require a system to eliminate all nonconforming products—in other words, a 100%-specification system—will your manufacturing plant survive? 

The long-awaited final rule by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on gluten-free labeling was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 5. This voluntary rule became effective on Sept. 4, with the compliance date set for Aug. 5, 2014. 

Pistachios and cashews join almonds in new line of flavored nut blends.

Like all manufacturers, bakers and snack producers know that their success (and profitability) depends on more than just regularly introducing new products. Controlling overhead, operating and equipment costs is a major part of the equation.

Nearly four years after the economic downturn, many Americans are still keeping a tight rein on their expenditures, monitoring how much they spend on essentials, including groceries, and nonessentials, such as eating out. Not surprisingly, many food manufacturers and restaurants have been impacted by this new-found consumer frugality, prompting the former to trim unprofitable items from their product lines and the latter to add more specials to their menus.

Lloyd Pans, Spokane, Wash., produces its pan products in the good ’ole USA, using a proprietary stick-resistant coating that cleans easily and is 100% PTFE-free. What’s interesting, though, is that it sells almost all of the baking pans online.

Chipping in for a “greener” future, Frito-Lay North America’s snack manufacturing facility in Casa Grande, Ariz., is the company’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold snack unit—a remarkable achievement in its own right. But the plant, which Frito-Lay calls its Near Net Zero project showcase, is also the result of a highly ambitious sustainability project that took the location “off the grids,” running primarily on renewable energy sources and recycled water, while producing zero landfill waste. The plant could be the most sustainable food production facility of its kind in the U.S.

Masada Bakery’s 100,000-sq.-ft. bakery operation in Norcross, Ga., continues to grow, even in a slumping economy, thanks in part to the dramatic success of several customers. 

Axium Foods’ 130,000-sq.-ft, corn-based snacks operation in South Beloit, Ill., has expanded several times, thanks in part to the success of the many private-label products it packs and products it copacks. It’s also launching its own line of Mystic Harvest purple tortilla chips, which contain powerful antioxidants. Outfitted with seven highly flexible production lines, Axium produces 150 different stock-keeping units of snacks each week.

Popular Labriola Baking Co. recently relocated to a spacious, 175,000-sq.-ft. plant in Alsip, Ill

Launching its own snack brand only three years ago, Simply 7 Snacks has copacked snacks for customers across the country for years.

Nation Pizza and Foods’ massive 190,000-sq.-ft. operation in Schaumburg, Ill.—one of the company’s two frozen product facilities—features seven speedy production lines that generate at least 30,000 lb. of dough an hour alone. We tour one of the two bakeries and one of four topping lines, which all feature upgraded and soon-to-be-installed equipment.

Running two shifts a day, five days a week on four production lines, The Christie Cookie Co.’s 41,000-sq.-ft. production facility in Nashville, Tenn., has big-company ideas and procedures.

Snak King has added a second snack production location, its recently acquired Vitner’s plant.

Utz Quality Foods has been making potato chips for years and expanded into other snack foods such as pretzels, and its now-famous cheese balls. The Hanover, Pa., company shares how it makes its fantastic orange, bite-size snacks.

Flexible and ready to address many customer needs, the staff at Eli’s Cheesecake’s 62,000-sq.-ft. production facility in Chicago outputs more than 15,000 units a day on eight production lines.

It’s been a slippery road this year. Impacted by a widespread drought, fluctuating commodity prices and a still-weak economy, bakers have been hit with some tough circumstances.

Snack manufacturers are dipping into a new wave pool of offerings for consumers