It’s hard to believe that as recently as a couple generations ago, finding organic anything—let alone organic packaged snacks and baked goods—required a special trip to the “health food store” or local co-op (assuming your locality had such a place). Now, even big-box emporia dedicate shelves, if not entire aisles, to organic options—underscoring just how mainstream this one “fringe-y” sector has become.
Yet while organics may be mainstreaming, the hard work of formulating and producing to USDA’s National Organic Program remains … well, hard work. And the task can be especially arduous when the goal is creating the convenient, increasingly sophisticated snacks and baked goods that consumers—even organic ones—love.