As I've engaged (remotely) with the industry of late, I've heard myriad stories of hardship and determined struggle, of community support and selfless volunteerism, of ingenuity and fortitude. These core values, so central to true leadership, are what bridge the gap to unite us across this great nation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has multiple lessons for the snack industry. Overall, the snack industry has had a strong, up year. But the degree of a "COVID bump" varied from category to category. As we emerge and plan for the future, recent, and current, product purchase behaviors can help provide a roadmap for what's to come.

One of the best parts of my job is traveling around this great country to visit with snack and bakery companies, some of which have helped define this industry for over a century. I'm always humbled to hear their pioneering stories of perseverance and success - and honored with the privilege of telling their stories to the world.

Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution? If you don't automatically align with the solution end of that equation, you might want to think about your overall messaging to consumers, and to the industry overall.

Near the end of December 2019, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, Wuhan City, China, reported several pneumonia cases that officials eventually tied to a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, now generally known as COVID-19.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for snack and bakery companies to improve safety, production, and efficiency.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, snack and bakery companies increase and adjust sanitation procedures for their facilities.

Over the past few months, after nearly two years of disruption, I've been getting back into the saddle, visiting with the industry across the many pathways I carve through the course of my work.

Snack food and wholesale bakery companies in the market for machines that help prepare, store, transport, and otherwise handle ingredients are most focused on qualities like automation, ease of maintenance, and the ability to deliver higher performance in throughput and accuracy.

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.

The brand best known for its kettle-cooked sweet potato chips is now at 800 US Walmarts.

Nuts and seeds are growing in popularity due to an increase in healthy snacking and consumer interest in plant-based products. According to Innova Market Insights, 7 in 10 U.S. consumers sought healthier snacking options in 2018.

The items include Cinnabon churros, Auntie Anne’s pretzels, and Subway cookies.

Nuts.com's Valentine's Day collections for 2024 include cookies, chocolates, gummies, and chocolate-covered pretzels.

The Hot Honey Flavored Pretzel Pieces combine sweet honey and spicy chili heat with a salty pretzel base.

Bonnie & Pop has consumers covered for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa gifting options.

Available in sweet and savory flavors, the all-new 85-oz. Bucket of Bites features Pretzel Bites served with six different sauces of the fans’ choice, such as Cheddar Cheese, Pizza Sauce, Honey Mustard, and Cream Cheese.

Diamond of California, the century-old producer of “Made for Homemade” specialty nuts, has announced the launch of a new chocolate flavor, of their ready-to-use Nut Pie Crusts, available now on both store shelves nationwide, and online with Amazon. 

The ongoing pandemic has certainly shifted consumer attitudes and behaviors when it come to foods and the foods they choose. Consumers are looking to connect with food and are gravitating to more familiar comfort foods and indulgent items.

Just in time for fall, Diamond of California has launched its Pumpkin Pie Spice Nut Pie Crust, a seasonal Walmart exclusive flavor of their beloved Ready-to-Use Nut Pie Crust.

With this transaction, which closed on Dec. 22, Table Talk hopes to return the closed facility to its key position in the Canadian sweet goods industry.

The company is kicking off the next half of its Brownsville facility expansion.

Made famous for its tangy and sweet BBQ sauce flavor, premium beef, and savory crust, Hot Pockets BBQ Recipe Beef is back by popular demand.

The Bavarian-style sourdough pretzels are intended to deliver authentic European flavor and texture.

The new seasonal stack includes four buttermilk pancakes loaded with bacon and topped with maple glaze, diced bacon, a bacon strip and whipped topping. 

Craig brings over 15 years of global business and finance experience, including leading finance divisions across various Mars portfolios.

Brioche brand moves into bake at home market, with a new range of authentic French baguettes and rolls.

The Flowers Foods bakery brand has introduced a line of soft, sweet buns.

As family and friends more frequently gather in person for parties, dinners, and other social settings, it follows that sales of buns and rolls might increase, because such baked items often are invited to the table. 

In the award-winning FX television drama The Bear, bread plays a crucial roll—namely, the hinged Italian rolls used in crafting Chef Carmen Berzatto’s famous beef sandwiches.

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.

The bars category continues show good to strong levels of growth, with sufficiently diversified product offerings to appeal to nearly every type of shopper. Few product categories so seamlessly fit into today’s on-the-go lifestyle suited to on-demand snacking.

Despite Americans’ growing interest in healthier diets and better-for-you foods made with real ingredients, people still enjoy treating themselves to dessert, be it a piece of frosted layer cake, a slice of silky crème pie or a sliver of decadent cheesecake.

Every year, as students of all ages head back to school, parents inevitably find themselves searching anew for the latest, better-for-you, healthy school snacks that their kids can pack into their lunchboxes and backpacks—snacks that feed their mind, as well as their belly.

Snack mix and nut products have extended their reach over the past year as consumers continue to seek varieties that are full of flavor innovation and adventure. “On-the-go” snack packs also appeal to consumers, and some have bold, new flavors that will make them stand out on the grocery store shelves.

Once a simple snack aisle staple, the humble pretzel is experiencing a resurgence, as restaurant menus tap into the classic flavors of this ubiquitous snack. According to Mintel, Chicago, there has been significant growth in the number of pretzel buns on menus recently, to the tune of 97 percent more items on menus than in previous years.

In a retail landscape that demands that snacks and baked goods have it all—great taste, affordable pricing, innovative flavors, recognizable ingredients and boosted nutrition—one category in particular is rising to the challenge: cookies.

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.

A leader from the bakery chain talks growth, innovation, and maintaining quality standards.

Paris Baguette will be offering a mochi and a King Cream doughnut, plus a chocolate cake, Easter log, and Easter layer cake for the spring season.

Toffee Cake is Crumbl’s newest dessert offering: a chocolate cake soaked in melty caramel sauce and crowned with fluffy whipped cream and chopped toffee pieces.

The limited-edition meal kit is inspired by the series’ Thanksgiving episode and features all the pre-portioned ingredients to recreate the sweet and savory trifle.

Some candies don’t fit neatly into one column or another. That’s okay; the “other” candies like marshmallows, spreads, interactive novelty items, and such seem to be fitting into consumers’ candy budgets just fine. 

It makes sense that mint sales are up (though modestly, when looking at units sold) as recovery from the effects of the pandemic marches on. 

Chocolate is a treat that will never go out of style—whether it’s a consumer purchasing it for their own consumption, or perhaps as a gift for friends or family, it is a well-loved dessert. 

Bars remain big business—the portability, flavor variety, better-for-you options, and other attributes of the bakery category appeals to hungry commuters, on-the-go moms and their offspring, health-conscious snackers, and other consumer segments.

Consumers have been looking to eat healthier, and producers are responding, offering multigrain, keto, and other options for loaf bread.

Buns and rolls will never not be valued in the U.S.—whether you’re a carnivore, flexitarian, or vegetarian, you’re inevitably going to be eating a hamburger or perhaps veggie burger this summer.