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The Essential Baking Co. also now reaches a national audience with its Take & Bake line of artisan sourdough batards and baguettes, which get a notable 190-day ambient shelf life thanks to modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP).

The scope and variety of snack foods and baked goods continues to evolve across the U.S. foodservice landscape. Snack producers and bakeries, often working in collaboration with restaurant operators, continue to work to build interest and intrigue across all dayparts, including the omnipresent snacking segment, while still remaining comfortingly familiar. It's a delicate balance, and understanding customer motivations and emerging menu trends is the first step.

More companies across the food industry have been transitioning to software systems versus paper to manage sanitation scheduling, processes and documentation. This allows them to integrate with sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs) and also help improve food safety. They can also help better coordinate regular facility maintenance tasks.

Hygienic design, quicker changeovers, reduction of maintenance time, improved cooling ability and the modularity and flexibility to run more-diverse products-sometimes with exotic raw materials that need gentler processing-are the top-of-mind issues for customers of extrusion equipment.

New packaging materials and technologies are available to keep snack and bakery products fresh over the course of their expected shelf life, and to actually extend that shelf life. These innovations include modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP) solutions and active packaging, often in combination with the latest packaging material technology.

Bakery snacks, including key segments like pastries, doughnuts, muffins, snack cakes and more, remain a staple in Americans' snacking routines. Whether shoppers are looking for an indulgent snack or a better-for-you item, there's something for everyone.

The latest warehouse equipment, including lift trucks, forklifts, automated picking and autonomous vehicles, is designed to improve driver safety, visibility and maneuverability.

Most people enjoy chocolate. According to Mintel, 85 percent of U.S. consumers buy chocolate. And Euromonitor estimates U.S. consumers eat an average of 9.5 lbs. of chocolate per year.

Sanitary equipment design is essential to ensuring food safety in the snack and bakery industry. To that end, the Baking Industry Sanitation Standards Committee (BISSC) has established standards and guidelines for the design and operation of equipment.

Consumers are reading labels more, looking for products that are nutritious, with ingredients that are easy to understand and that work with their family's budget. While there's no official definition of "clean label," consumers and the snack and bakery industry have their own definition in mind.