Demand for chocolate in snack and bakery items is driven by two core consumers: Luxury seekers; and healthy snack eaters who both share a common desire for great-tasting chocolate produced in a sustainable fashion. 

What entices each bite of a mini salted-maple, toasted-almond Cronut—as I recently relished at Donut Savant in Oakland, CA..

Cracker Jack’D, a Frito-Lay brand, has added a protein-packed snack mix to its product line—Cracker Jack’D Protein Mix.

Reliability, flexibility, consistent product quality, easy sanitation and high-volume output are just some of the things bakers and snack producers want from a new oven or fryer. 

As Bühler Aeroglide’s vice president of process engineering, Tom Barber will work with customers worldwide.

Better-for-you ingredients and innovative flavors continue to keep potato chips at the top of consumers’ list of favorite snacks, while the classics still resonate.

As consumer demand for more and diverse baked goods and snacks heats up, today’s ovens and fryers let bakers and snack producers increase production while reducing related costs.

John Van Duin will head up Florigo Industry’s processing division in Asia Pacific.

In the wake of strong demand for Donkey Chips, the company needed new equipment to significantly increase production of its line of tortilla chips. Here's how they did it.

New fryers and oils enable bakers and snack producers to create more and better-for-you versions of the fried dough products and snacks consumers can’t live without.

The global processing and packaging provider will highlight its start-to-finish solutions for the snack industry via an interactive booth experience at SNAXPO in Houston.

When it comes to sweet goods like doughnuts, Danishes, sweet rolls, muffins and coffee cake, the market is in a state of flux. As Walter Postelwait, president of Pak Group LLC/Bellarise Baking Ingredients, Pasadena, CA, puts it: “The total segment appears to be growing slowly, but has hot pockets of activity.”

The chips segment has grown quite lively over the past year, with new product areas emerging and others, like apple chips, seeing considerable growth and maturation. Snack producers are also starting to grow beyond potatoes, offering sweet potato, beet and parsnip chips.

Fryers continue to see ongoing improvements related to hygienic design, oil management and energy efficiency. Equipment suppliers are also offering models that occupy a smaller physical and carbon footprint, and that include adaptability to handle a diverse array of products.

Quick changeovers, smaller products, sanitation needs, oil quality and temperature control are all top-of-mind for customers of griddle and fryer equipment used for key snack and bakery applications, including doughnuts and frozen breakfast products like waffles and pancakes, as well as fried snack items, like chips.

PPM Technologies has updated its Snack Frying System.

Heat and Control, Inc., an equipment manufacturer and food processing industry supplier, recently released the OilSaver Filtration System to its Oil Management System lineup.

VITO Fryfilter, Inc. recently released an intensive cleaner individually packed as tabs, for an effective cleaning of commercial deep fryers: the VITO tab.

Bakeries and snack makers in the market for ovens, proofers, fryers, and dryers have a healthy list of features and benefits in mind. These include capabilities for customization and flexibility, reliability and consistency, temperature control, faster processing times and continuous production, and automation that operators can control and monitor remotely.

VITO AG has announced the launch of a new product to fulfill the rising need for high-quality and easy to use filtration systems for deep fryers: the VITO VL oil filter system.

ONE Brands is bringing Reese's peanut butter flavor to the protein bar aisle with the debut of its new Reese's Peanut Butter Lovers flavor-inspired protein bar.

KIND's new Savory Bars bring forth a unique mix of nuts and a smokey and spicy profile, resulting in a bold taste in every bite, per the brand.

The companies are empowering consumers to "act" and make an impact with every bar.

The gluten- and peanut-free formulation is designed to be school-friendly.

Each box contains eight individually wrapped bites, and they are available in Apple Cinnamon and Double Chocolate flavors.

New nostalgia-inspired protein bars, plant-based nut bars, and savory popped crisps launch at Walmart stores nationwide.

RE:DO plant-based, high-protein bars were created with Olympian input.

MET-Rx announced the expansion of its popular BIG 100 product line with the introduction of granola bars and two new flavors.

Known for its plant-based, real-food ingredients, Laird Superfood’s Pumpkin Spice line is crafted with a signature blend of ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, plus real pumpkin.

David Co-Founders Peter Rahal, founder of protein snacks brand Rxbar, and Zach Ranen, former investor and founder of Raize, bring extensive experience to their latest venture.

The new think! Minis offer a conveniently sized snack option at 100 calories and 6 grams of protein per bar, in dessert-inspired flavors.

This product not only offers a healthy snack option, but also addresses the growing concern of packaging waste in India.

Atkins has introduced a new creative campaign, "Atkins Way," an embodiment of the brand's new emotional brand positioning, along with a series of new product offerings.

Sized for little hands, Zbar Halloween Minis are available in a 20-ct chocolate chip flavor.

The snack bars, made with whole-grain oats, are vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, kosher, and free from soy.

The bars include a pumpkin spice-inspired base with chunks of white chocolate pieces, topped with graham cracker-flavored clusters and a gourmet drizzle.

The performance bar brand recently won a GNC competition that landed its products on the store’s shelves across the country.

The limited-time bars incorporate ginger, allspice, and other simple ingredients, with a total of 12 g of protein in each serving.

The company’s most recent introductions give health-minded snackers a range of grain-free options in bar form.

HANTEMP Controls has unveiled a new line of stainless steel control valves & modules for pressure, temperature, and liquid control.

Snack producers and bakeries can travel multiple avenues toward improved operational efficiency. Additional automation is a natural progression.

CSi Palletizing will be exhibiting its i-Pal palletizing system with integrated stretch wrapper at PACK EXPO 2016.  

Thermal management is crucial to processing, storing and delivering several types of snacks and baked goods. The latest systems cover a wide range of functions, including chilling dough, cooling product after exiting the oven, and refrigerating or freezing finished product. Specialized cold storage facilities also are part of the mix.

New designs that allow for flexible width, more compact production space, easier cleaning and better sanitation, all while featuring more technologically advanced controls, have been foremost on the minds of snack and bakery companies in recent months and years when replacing or upgrading their sheeters and laminators.

The human-machine interface (HMI) is essential in an operator’s daily work, as it represents how he or she can use and control the equipment, via technology. These days, using an HMI is all about fostering an easy user experience.

Automation has begun to take over the world of sorting and ingredient handling among snack and bakery products, especially in the area of continuous batching and delivery systems.

Siemens recently announced a limited-time offer, effective until May 31, 2017. Under this program, users of any machine tool with SINUMERIK CNC onboard will receive a variety of additional services, plus training and a 10% discount on spare parts orders. 

In his 1954 compendium of writings, “Ideas and Opinions,” Albert Einstein said that “all knowledge of reality starts from experience and ends in it.” He put forth this scientific “fundamental truth” in connection to his predecessors Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei, tying it to the origins of modern science.

Honeywell introduced its latest technology breakthroughs and innovative solutions for manufacturers, distribution centers, logistics providers, delivery firms and retailers to help drive efficiency across their supply chain operations.

Production of artisanal style bread and roll products from a dough band is currently experiencing rapid growth. This method of production being the only way to ensure gentle handling of highly hydrated doughs.