Bunge North America purchases Heartland Harvest, a producer of die-cut pellets used to make extruded foods.

Consumer demand for artisanal baked goods and better-for-you snacks are making new laminators and sheeters must-have equipment for many manufacturers.

Hygienic design, quicker changeovers, reduction of maintenance time, improved cooling ability and the modularity and flexibility to run more-diverse products-sometimes with exotic raw materials that need gentler processing-are the top-of-mind issues for customers of extrusion equipment.

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.

Snack and bakery companies looking at new or improve extrusion equipment to create puffed and popped snacks, bakery items like nutrition bars, and other types of SKUs have features and benefits like cleanability, flexibility, and remote support high on their list of considerations, according to companies that make extrusion equipment.

The Essential Baking Co. also now reaches a national audience with its Take & Bake line of artisan sourdough batards and baguettes, which get a notable 190-day ambient shelf life thanks to modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP).

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.

Leavening ingredients and leavening aides are important ingredients that help consistently create the textural qualities of various baked goods. And like every ingredient segment within bakery, leavening agents are subject to ongoing shopper trends.

Checking in on what’s new in the muffins bakery category.

Muffin brand rereleases limited-edition flavor for spring and summer snacking.

Upcoming film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse themed packaging will be on select Tastykake items in conjunction with a National “Swing into Tastykake” Sweepstakes.

The TheiaVu E-Series is a standalone vision inspection system that collects measurements of features of many types of baked goods, such as buns, rolls, English muffins, doughnuts, cookies, and more.

Key debuts new conveyor solutions to help processors streamline operations and reduce labor.

The SiftAI Smart Table from Smart Vision Works, a KPM Analytics brand, promises better contaminant detection and product grading.  

Tate & Lyle PLC (Tate & Lyle) is pleased to announce the launch of Fibre University, a new online modular course designed to help formulators and food scientists solve even the toughest fibre formulation challenges in a time when most people are not getting enough fibre in their diets.

When it comes to equipment like ovens and proofers, internet connectivity, wider and larger machines, artisanal production methods, shorter bake times, reversible belts, energy efficiency and improved cleaning and sanitation are all top considerations in today’s market.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., shoppers began to frantically stock up on select food products. Due to its convenience and comfort-food appeal, frozen pizza was a top choice, and retailers soon found themselves with dwindling supplies as American society braced for the worst.

The Digital Air Velocity Sensor Array delivers a precise picture of airflow patterns inside an oven, dryer, or cooling tunnel, from side-to-side and end-to-end.

Celebrating 96 years in business, a recently expanded production facility and a host of fresh baked goods, Milano Bakery in Joliet, Ill., receives Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery’s 2011 Baker of the Year award.

Butter Buds Inc., a dairy and non-dairy concentrates company, announced Tom Buhler has been named the company’s chief community affairs officer.

Salty snacks like chips, popcorn, pretzels, and snack crackers have long been a staple in the home, and have become even more essential now during the coronavirus pandemic.

Milk Specialties Global has doubled its lactose production following the expansion of its west coast processing facility in Visalia, CA.

The first-ever color-reveal cupcake and cookie dough pop mixes from Betty Crocker turn green for Elphaba or pink for Glinda.

The doughnut combines the tastes of chai and coffee in a baked item.

Now that the pandemic is receding, the snack bar category has been increasing in sales. That makes sense; people are on the go more often than before (back to the office, taking road trips, etc.), and a snack bar fits the bill when consumers want a quick and/or healthy snack to stash in a purse or glove compartment.

Snack food and bakery companies in the market for mixers want machines that provide qualities like ease of sanitation, food safety, automation, airtight seals, and consistent operation that guards against product degradation during the mixing cycle.

Haas-Meincke food technologists helped develop Hup Seng recipes for its cookie assortment, which have been awarded with the Monde Selection International High Quality Trophy.

Companies who make dough handling equipment like dividers, depositors and rounders say their customers want equipment that provides safety and sanitation, automation and the resulting labor savings, gentler handling of dough, and the flexibility to run a mix of high-throughput, and smaller, niche lines, depending on the job.

Snack and bakery customers in the market for dough-handling equipment like dividers, depositors, and rounders are looking for versatility, greater precision, higher capacity, longer maintenance intervals, adjustability of qualities like width and weight, and machines that can handle natural, clean-label, and gluten-free products.

Snack food and wholesale bakery manufacturers in the market for dividers, depositors and rounders have a long list of considerations. These include automation, reliability, scalability, integration, flexibility, communication, customization, ease of maintenance and sanitation, and different packaging capabilities, according to companies that produce such machines.

Customers of cutting, slicing and portioning equipment for snack and bakery products consider a wide range of parameters: They're hoping to find machinery that offers greater use of robots and automation, better sanitation, higher safety standards, faster speeds, wider and easier-to-clean blades, and reliable and flexible systems that can handle different sizes and shapes.

The study found that carbohydrates and polyphenols in prunes act as prebiotics and help restore bone health.

Fruits can add a pop of color, flavor, and texture to snack and bakery products, but with consumers being more mindful of health and wellness, the use of fruits has expanded beyond the traditional uses. 

The thaw-and-eat sandwich brand has grown from a $12 million property to about $800 million in annual sales, according to the company.

Soozy’s Grain-Free has officially announced the availability of its bread and bagel product lines.

If bagels are having a family reunion, the fun cousin just showed up.

The line aims to bring gluten-free bagels with authentic taste to foodservice customers.

Tortillas, always one of the most versatile breads, had extra mileage to accomplish this past year: consumers wanted better-for-you options for their tacos, flautas, and fajitas. They also wanted these to be easily accessible at their local grocery stores so that they could cook at home during the pandemic.

The grain-based snack and bakery industry has a number of vital, perennially important food safety issues to consider as we move into a new year. Food safety has always been important in snack and bakery facilities, and it has ramped up this year due to COVID-19, as well.

Total grain intake is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Health-conscious consumers are driving growth in grains both old and new.

According to the grain company, the products offer higher protein and more beta-glucan.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recognize grains as an important part of a healthy eating pattern. Grain foods provide dietary fiber as well as essential vitamins (i.e., folate, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, and vitamin A) and minerals (i.e., iron, zinc, manganese, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, and selenium).

The organization advocates for incorporating various grains as part of a healthy diet.

Grains are a fundamental ingredient in bakery and snack food products that can provide flavor, texture, nutrition, and functional benefits. What’s more, there exists a multitude of different grains to choose from, depending upon the product needs. 

Sweegen is expanding its extensive sweetener portfolio in early 2022 with the zero-calorie, high-intensity sweetener brazzein.

The sweetener is 90% as sweet as sucrose while containing 60% fewer calories.

Available now, the “Zen Guide to Manufacturing Intelligence” leads manufacturing professionals down the path to an enlightened look at quality metrics that shows the potential for greater quality control and cost savings by extracting more value from manufacturing data.

van Poppel will lead the food solutions firm in its efforts to improve its environmental impact.

The announcement represents a significant step as part of Kellanova's Better Days Promise to advance sustainable and equitable access to food.