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Advances in labeling are happening at a rapid pace. Technological leaps in marking/coding technology, printers, and labeling software have improved printing speed, accuracy and flexibility to accommodate a wide range of labels in today's snack and bakery market.

Trends in snack mixes and nuts are constantly changing, but many also remain the same, as consumers are constantly searching for better-for-you snacks and the next "big thing."

In today's snack and bakery industry, clear-cut traceability is vital to success and longevity, especially when there is a recall and ingredients need to be tracked.

Taste remains a key driver in consumer food purchases. According to the 2018 IFIC "Food and Health Survey," taste was rated the No. 1 factor, with 81 percent of consumers stating taste impacts their decisions. Consumers still seek nostalgic, familiar flavors, but also flavors that appeal to their adventurous side.

Over the last 30-plus years since establishing Lehi Valley, the family has significantly expanded the different types of snacks offered, primarily working with retailers across the U.S. on their private label lines of caramel corn and popcorn, puffed corn snacks, snack mixes, nuts, granola, and more. Freeman and his wife, Trecia, purchased the business outright in 2000, and have steadily expanded the company’s manufacturing footprint ever since.

Sound sanitary facility design is vital in the snack and baking industry in order to maintain peak food safety, especially for facilities making products with tricky ingredients or processes from a sanitation perspective. Associated sanitation procedures can also prove a challenge in older facilities.

Anyone who thinks the gluten-free market has peaked needs to think again. According to a December 2018 report from Zion Market Research, the global gluten-free product market was valued at around $4.72 billion in 2017. By 2024, that value is expected to nearly double to reach $7.6 billion.

Ingredient-handling equipment used by snack producers and bakeries ranges from automated batching and dosing machines to pneumatic conveyors, as well as equipment like sifters to prepare ingredients for addition to batches of dough.

Product-handling equipment, mincluding cartoners and case erectors, packers and loaders, are more automated and more flexible than ever, offering quick changeovers between package formats.

Two areas of frozen bakery products that have seen strong traction over the past year are frozen breakfast items like waffles and frozen pizza, with trends like clean label, premium offerings and health-conscious considerations factoring into growth.