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Sustainability messaging arises in myriad ways across today's snack food and bakery industry With the help of an ever-evolving equipment and technology supply chain, snack producers and bakery companies continue [...]

The last several years have challenged consumer definitions of 'essential' and 'nonessential.' As the world shut down during the worst of those early pandemic days, we took a hard look [...]

Economically challenging times always catalyze changes in consumer spending and subsequent category shifts, and the past year was no exception. While dollar sales are largely up, that's due to price [...]

Revenue from the U.S. grain-based snack and bakery industry accounts for over $100 billion in annual retail sales, and a significant portion of that total comes from the top 50 [...]

There is nothing Like a pandemic to test a company's limitations, While food producers received official designation as 'essential' businesses as the COVID-19 pandemic descended on the American food industry, [...]

History marks select years with unilateral distinction. Consider 1945 and the conclusion World War II, closing a door on a turbulent time in our global history--and opening a new door [...]

Akernel of inspiration sits in the heart of true entrepreneurial vision. Often, it just needs enough energy to pop and make its presence known. Such was the case for Dustin [...]

These days, you can have your cake and eat it, too. Today's sweet bakery treats like cakes, pies, cheesecakes, and cookies often combine the best of multiple worlds, bridging apparent [...]

Freshness attracts attention in today's baking industry. It communicates the quintessential ideal of product quality and enjoyment. It's essential to the success of any bakery product. Refrigeration is a key [...]

THE BOTTOM LINE * Increasing category diversity * Specialized diet opportunities * Selecting better frying oils One of the fascinating aspects of today's snack industry is the supreme flexibility of [...]

In early 2020, as the COVID-19 crisis began to ripple through our global society, we largely retreated to our homes--and began snacking. We appreciated the convenience so many snack foods [...]

THE BOTTOM LINE * Capitalizing on regional styles * Designing for authenticity * Vegetable crusts ascendant When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., shoppers began to frantically stock up on [...]

THE BOTTOM LINE * Clean-Label ingredients * A sourdough revival * Post-COVID-19 strategies The past year has provided several key indicators that fresh bread productsincluding packaged bread, bagels, and English [...]

The 1859 Charles Dickens classic historical novel 'A Tale of Two Cities' begins with a statement of startling extremes, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of [...]

Today's foodservice market across the U.S. continues to reflect ongoing consumer desires for interesting and adventuresome flavors, items inspired by global cuisine, and better-for-you options--of ten where logically applicable, such [...]

Over the past few years, a number of notable food trends have developed incrementally stronger resonance with U.S. shoppers. Product dynamics like easy-to-understand ingredient statements, intriguing flavor innovations, and responsible [...]

THE BOTTOM LINE * Insight into category growth * Fresh R&D inspirations * Strategies to improve quality The past several years have been kind to the tortilla market. Tortillas and [...]

Ever since the advent of legal cannabis product commercialization, companies developing and producing these infused foods and beverages have sought viable equipment to help them create consistent, high-quality products for [...]

Despite pockets of growth at individual companies, the categories spanning fresh bread--including bread, buns and rolls, bagels and English muffins--continue to remain relatively flat. But bakers have some strategic tools [...]

Hostess Brands is synonymous with snack cakes. Its iconic products date back over a century. The Hostess CupCake, with its signature squiggle, debuted in 1919, and Twinkies followed in 1930, [...]

Not all potato chips are created equal. And competition among up-and-coming chip brands is fierce in this highly mature retail snack segment valued at $8.9 billion, per IRI, Chicago. In [...]

After nearly eight years as editor, on August 1, I succeeded my longtime colleague, mentor, and friend, Chris Luke, as publisher of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery. The two of [...]

Thanks to early immigrants from Germany and the Netherlands, hard pretzels today continue as a quintessential American snack. In their most-basic forms, they are a study in beautiful simplicity. Adorned, [...]

Crackers share a direct lineage with bread, finding their innovative genesis as a tool of necessity. The notably long shelf life of crackers makes them a resilient go-to food staple [...]

The buns and rolls segment of fresh bread accounts for over $6.0 billion in annual retail sales, per IRI, Chicago. This sandwich-heavy segment comprises hamburger and hot dog buns, but [...]

In 2022, the baking industry continues to face formidable and ongoing challenges related to the supply chain, workforce development, and an inflationary economy--all compounded by complications introduced by the Russia-Ukraine [...]

The fresh bread category--comprising sandwich breads, bagels, and English muffins--currently accounts for over $14.3 billion in annual retail sales according to IRI, Chicago. Innovation in better-for-you and elevated options is [...]

Every year, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery staff review the slate of new products we have posted about over the past year, identifying those that display notable flashes of innovation--and [...]

Cookies hold universal appeal Their aroma beckons, warm from the oven, promising delicious comfort--a little sweet treat to brighten the moment. Ruth Wakefield knew this truth, often serving cookies to [...]

Every product has its own pathway to market. And one of the keys to new CPG success is cultivating distinctive product characteristics that resonate with core target demographics. As part [...]

As noted in our June 2019 SF&WB 'State of the Industry: Bakery' coverage, desserts categories at retail are seeing mixed results. One bright spot was refrigerated cheesecakes, a category that [...]

Every so often, the primary aspects of a life fall together so perfectly that it appears that the proverbial fates are smiling upon destiny. Such is the case for Paul [...]

For Bud Keith, health and wellness was a way of life. He was, after all, a nutritionist--but his passion went well beyond a degree. In the 1960s, he established a [...]

We Americans like to treat ourselves. Statistically, nearly everyone in the U.S. reports eating candy at some point during the course of each year--and an estimated 75 percent of adults [...]

Bread is the most-important category in the baking industry--but also one of the most-challenging for building appreciable growth. For the 52 weeks ending November 4, 2018, the fresh bread and [...]

Cheez-It, the honoree for this year's 'Snack Producer of the Year,' impresses due to its singular success since its invention in 1921. It's one of the top snack foods of [...]

Cheez-It crackers are a testament to American snacking ingenuity. Introduced in 1921, the amazingly popular, one-inch-square, 100% real cheese snack crackers have maintained a steadfast ability to reach nearly every [...]

It all started with a search for good pie in Seattle in 1970. 'In 1970. my dad and uncle opened our first restaurant.' says Daniel Schwartz, president. Schwartz Brothers Bakery. [...]

Our work in food is visceral. It's immediate. It's supremely intimate to serve a role in preparing the daily bread for people across our planet. So when a food company [...]

The U.S. snack industry established strong roots during the first half of the 20th century. Retail channel diversification, ingenious equipment engineering, and an increasingly mobile American public hungry for snacking [...]

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 [...]

Every year poses its share of market challenges to companies operating in the snack and bakery market--a vital economic sector, which at retail alone accounts for over $100 billion in [...]

Companies developing cannabis-infused foods and beverages--or looking to enter the market--have a wider playing field to work with in terms of target consumer demographics. In the wake of progressively expanding [...]

Ever since California opened the door to legal sales of medical cannabis in 1996, cannabis-infused foods and beverages have been commercially available. Similar legislation progressively made its way across the [...]

Charlotte Figi was a revolutionary figure in medical cannabis. Born with Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy, she suffered from seizures every 30 minutes--until her parents met with the [...]

Nick Desai is on a mission to change the way we snack. Desai is the founder and CEO of PeaTos[TM] Brand, owned by Snack it Forward, Los Angeles. When PeaTos [...]

Cannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as terpenes, hold much promise for medical and health-focused applications, and recreational products that serve as alternatives to alcohol. The characteristic [...]

When establishing a cannabis business in a state that has passed medical and/or recreational cannabis legislation, or expanding an existing business to operate in that industry, business owners and investors [...]

In the world of snacks, some innovations are hotter than others--and sometimes burn so brightly that the entire industry feels the heat. Such is the case for Barcel USA, based [...]

In 2015, we launched the 'Best New Snack & Bakery Products' of the year contest to honor outstanding new snack and bakery products entering the industry, with the online SF&WB [...]