Tortillas, pitas, pizza crusts and other flatbreads were hot buttons in the retail and foodservice industry last year, and they’re expected to remain on trend in 2008 because of their perceived healthfulness and versatility in both ethnic and mainstream recipes, according to Kevin Pearson, vice president at Arr-Tech, Yakima, Wash.

“We’re seeing a growing popularity in all types of flatbreads — whole wheat, low-carb and specialty flavors — all being offered on the menus of many well-known restaurants and on the shelves of grocery stores,” he explains.

To help producers meet demand for these products at affordable prices, Pearson says, Arr-Tech has designed its counting and stacking machines to reduce labor and production costs while offering higher accuracy, providing better product hygiene and reducing waste.

Arr-Tech’s latest advances in technology include a paper or cardboard interleaver system designed to mount onto existing counter stackers. It also offers an inline bag system for sealing and trimming the bagged product as it is discharged from a bagger. This streamlines or eliminates problems associated with right-angle band sealers. Those issues can include product jams in the band sealer, sealing belts getting off track and requiring labor to straighten bags, Pearson says.