Come check out the latest edition of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery! This month's edition features a special tour of the John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc.'s headquarters in Elgin, Illinois.
John B. Sanfilippo’s (JBSS) 1-million-sq.-ft. headquarters and production complex in Elgin, Ill., is a real powerhouse, with a whopping 85 production lines for nut and snack processing. The company has witnessed steady growth and the challenges that go with it. And with more than 90 years of experience and a keen focus on customer and consumer solutions, JBSS tackles the tough nuts to crack head on.
Demonstrating how much the company has grown over the years, John B. Sanfilippo’s impressive 1-million-sq.-ft. production facility/corporate headquarters/distribution center in Elgin, Ill., is outfitted with speedy, state-of-the-art equipment and technology to produce thousands of nut products, snacks and nut mixes.
International flavors and foods are gaining popularity, but cautious consumers remain a challenge for bakers and snack producers. Successful manufacturers encourage purchase at the production line and at retail.
Consumers seek better-for-you baked goods and snacks that taste good, are packed with nutritious ingredients and fit their lifestyles. Ingredient manufacturers are providing what bakers and snack manufacturers need to develop products to meet those important consumer demands.
The right ingredient-handling equipment can do more for a baker and snack manufacturer than simply handle ingredients. It can reduce energy and ingredients costs, improve production line efficiency, address sanitation issues, reduce changeover times and more.
Modular designs and sophisticated electronics, as well as easy cleaning, food safety, remote servicing and environmentally friendly designs, are just some of the highlights of today’s palletizing systems.
More bakery products and snacks must be packaged to be shelf-ready for retailers, so product-handling equipment must offer flexibility for the changing marketplace. To meet this need, equipment manufacturers are developing more systems incorporating advanced robotics and sophisticated transport systems. Even plastic pallets are now multifunctional.
Snack food professionals will mosey on down to Dallas, March 1-4, to attend SNAXPO 2014, the Snack Food Association’s annual exhibition and conference. Attendees will be able to check out more than 125 exhibits, attend educational sessions, network with colleagues and more at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and the Omni Dallas Hotel.
Gluten has become Public Enemy Number One. Countless people follow a gluten-free diet, and just about everyone knows someone avoiding foods made with the gluten-containing grains wheat, rye and barley
One of the more challenging aspects of food manufacturing is food processors’ ability to discern between a fad and a trend, be they consumer- or industry-driven.
Last fall, I attended the whole-grains presentation session at the American Association of Cereal Chemists International (AACCI). I took away a few highlights pertinent to the entire grain-processing industry that I’d like to share.
Walking through the grocery store recently, I overheard a conversation between two people going through their shopping list. “All we are missing is some protein,” said one patron to the other.
Last month, I had the opportunity to offer testimony in support of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal to modestly scale back the amount of ethanol required to be produced under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).