A new smartphone app for the National Confectioners Association show makes the Sweets & Snacks Expo an interactive experience for attendees, providing more convenience and a comprehensive way to navigate the three-day event, receiving and using industry information before, during and after the show.

Experts think a 1980s-type crisis is unlikely, but concerns linger about the record-high prices for corn, soybeans, wheat and other commodities.

The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) will launch this feature, titled Improving Production through Innovation, at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2013, Sept. 23-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Mondelez International, the new name of Kraft Foods, after Kraft spun off its North American grocery business in October 2012, will be in its first full year as a "new" $36-billion snacks company. What will it do to lead the company to better define its product requirements and optimize package performance?

With more than 50% of the votes, Nonni’s Salted Caramel Biscotti is the winner of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery’s Best New Snack & Bakery Products of 2012. Coming in second and third, respectively, are BIGS Hidden Valley Ranch Sunflower Seeds and Sister Schubert’s Sweet Hawaiian Rolls.

The California Raisin Marketing Board calls for entries in the sixth annual America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest. This year’s finalists will attend International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) in Las Vegas on Oct. 6-9 and demonstrate their skills on the show floor.

Is it true? Consumer demand is shifting away from fresh and frozen sections when it comes to the bagel category, says market research firm SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago. But sales of refrigerated bagels have increased in the 52 weeks ended Dec. 30, 2012.

The amount of eco-labels in the food industry is expected to swell this year, and this proliferation could have adverse consequences, according to the research group Organic Monitor.