Reviewing and revising sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compact belts and conveyors for snack and bakery production meet demands for cleanability and automation.

Throughout the year, whenever you pick up a sandwich away from home, there is a good chance you have Bimbo Bakehouse to thank for your bread.

Lest anyone think that the pandemic pressed "pause" on campaigns for corporate sustainability, think again. If anything, COVID-19 reminded consumers, and the snack and bakery sectors, just how interconnected we are, whether we’re selecting suppliers, expanding production, or packing a protein bar into our gym bags.

The snack and bakery industry continues to face a difficult road when it comes to staffing. Challenges related to filling open positions for skilled and unskilled production personnel have persisted for years. But the past several months have proven particularly trying as employers seek to fill available jobs with individuals from an increasingly wary, pandemic-weary America.

SF&WB connected with several industry suppliers to gain their current market perspectives for the coming year.

"In 1970, my dad and uncle opened our first restaurant," says Daniel Schwartz, president, Schwartz Brothers Bakery, Renton, WA. "Three years later, they opened a concept called The Sandwich Shop and Pie Place. They were looking to source the very best pies to serve at their restaurant, and they couldn’t find any that they liked."

State of the Industry Overview for bakery, including a look at baking industry challenges like the supply chain, workforce development, impact from the war in Europe, and the pandemic.

For the past several years, the baking industry has faced a long list of serious, ongoing challenges.

Inclusions such as fruits, vegetables, and chocolate can add another dimension of visual appeal, flavor, and texture to snacks and baked goods.

All of Magnolia Bakery's holiday products below are available to ship nationwide right to consumers' doors.

The limited-time items released by the chain feature a wide range of sweet treats, savory snacks, holiday products, and more.

To bring this product to market, the Magnolia Bakery team worked for over three years to create a banana pudding that met the brand’s high product standards and also met consumers' needs. 

Cranberry Walnut Loaf and Savory Holiday Rolls hit store shelves nationwide.

After a brief production hiatus, the La Brea Bakery Brioche Bun returns as a plant-based bread that embodies the same hallmark buttery flavor and crumb of a traditional brioche.

The item offers consumers a better-for-you alternative to a traditional sandwich bun.

The brand is returning two favorites to shelves: its Cranberry Walnut Loaf and Take & Bake Savory Holiday Rolls.

Reportedly boasting a high glossy crown, soft texture, and clean flavor, each bun is crafted with the same natural starters, slow fermentation process, and simple ingredients that Ace Bakery is known for.

With this latest product launch, Calise Bakery is expanding its lineup of signature rolls and sourdough products.

A leader from the company outlines the items in its new line of artisan buns.

Consumers can experience Artisan French Dinner Rolls and Baguette & Sandwich Rolls fresh in their own kitchen in minutes.

Tradition is the foundation that grounds much of the bakery industry’s continued success. We see this immutable fact across nearly every category, with leading companies selling billions of dollars of traditional baked goods that have long stood the test of time. These are core products beloved by millions of shoppers.

Advances in packaging materials continue to extend shelf life, while adding convenience and freshness to bakery and snack goods. Innovations in modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP), microbial-inhibiting film, and the use of cellulose nanocrystals are helping to push the envelope.

Since the beginning of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began its destructive spread across the earth, the baking industry has seen highs and lows unlike any other time in history. This unprecedented challenge has reshaped our world, and much of the industry is emerging stronger than ever.

Eating occasions and flavor directions factor into industry activity and planning.

Like the original Sara Lee Angel Food Cake, this line extension is fully baked and ready to simply thaw, slice, and serve.

This month’s eMagazine explores the field’s current health and future success.

Speakers set to present include experts from Circana, SNAC International, and ABA.

Machining and handling of dough prior to the cutting action requires several steps/actions, as they are critical to the textural characteristics of the finished product.

Effectively and efficiently handling dough is integral to many snack and bakery operations. And the needs producers have today are diverse.

Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery has announced that its 2016 “Snack Producer of the Year” award will go to Unique Pretzel Bakery, Reading, PA, best known for its Original “Splits” pretzels.

Unique Pretzel Bakery astutely combines equal measures of Pennsylvania Dutch tradition and modern-day innovation to catalyze its success.

The scallop-shaped baked treats reportedly are made without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Over the past century, historic La Segunda Central Bakery has grown from serving the local Cuban community in Ybor City, FL, to distributing traditional Cuban bread from coast to coast.

A look at the best air management practices for snack and bakery companies.

Companies should make a plan to ensure cleanliness, standard operating procedures of facilities.

Snack, bakery industry personnel are constantly learning.

Efficient weight controls and checkweighing systems on bakery production lines are integral to meeting consumer expectations and ensuring compliance with net weight regulations.

The Chocolate Caramel and Triple Chocolate cakes draw inspiration from candy bar flavors and textures.

Consumers are still looking for indulgences, despite the fact that many products now have health halos. However, in our current era of “little treat culture,” the bakery snacks category—aka smaller servings of snack cakes and pies—continue to be popular.

Handtmann has announced the appointment of Christian Strohm and Sean Gorman to bakery sales specialist positions in Canada and the U.S.

Customers of machines that handle puffing and extruding of snack and bakery products are focused on accommodating protein- and plant-based inclusions, hygienic design and rapid cleaning, speed and quick changeovers, better integrated controls, easy data extraction, and smaller machines that can produce specialized batches.

Flexibility, greater sanitation, gentle handling of ingredients, quicker changeovers, more precise weight control, and the ability to make products with healthier ingredients are top of mind features and benefits for snack and bakery customers of extrusion equipment and technology.

To successfully bake products requires an astute blend of art and science. A fundamental ingredient in the baking process is the leavening agent. Leavening contributes essential sensory characteristics to bakery products.

LEVAIR Select leavening solution is a non-aluminum based alternative to traditional sodium aluminum phosphate.

The bakery snacks category overall experienced an increase in sales in 2021, the possible reason for that being that consumers are now returning to the office and want on-the-go snacks to keep them company at their desks. 

The new laminator is said to offer a smaller footprint, flexibility, and easier sanitation and maintenance.

Consumers are reading labels more, looking for products that are nutritious, with ingredients that are easy to understand and that work with their family's budget. While there's no official definition of "clean label," consumers and the snack and bakery industry have their own definition in mind.

Consumers want to achieve better overall health and wellness, and adding more dietary protein and fiber helps. FDA defines dietary fiber as "certain naturally occurring fibers that are 'intrinsic and intact' in plants, and added isolated or synthetic non-digestible soluble and insoluble carbohydrates that FDA has determined have beneficial physiological effects to human health."

While taste will remain a dominant factor for all food products, health, wellness and the nutritional value of the product is growing in importance. Several studies point to the fact that consumers are looking to achieve better overall wellness by selecting foods and ingredients that provide a functional health benefit.