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Be they kettle-cooked, baked, fried, formed and even puffed, potato chips are still gold medal winners in the snack race.

It’s golf season, and that means it’s State of the Industry time. Have things changed much since last year? The sluggish economy is still bearish and has had an effect on bakers, though they continue to iron out new products and spin old favorites.

Baked goods have been a part of peoples’ diet for thousands of years, far longer than golfers have been hitting a little ball across a grassy surface with a long stick. As ingredients, production methods, distribution and a host of other factors have evolved, consumers at all income levels have been able to enjoy staples like breads and rolls, as well as sweet treats like cookies and pies.

As consumers’ interest in healthy eating continues to grow, so does their search for flavorful, prepared foods—including baked goods and snacks—with fewer calories and less salt, processed sugar and artificial ingredients. Products made with nutritious ingredients that have been around forever, such as fruit, nuts and chocolate, are more likely to find their way into the shopping carts of these concerned consumers.

These days, pretzels aren’t just your average bar snack. Manufacturers are producing their savory snacks with a bit of a twist, reaching the consumers who crave bolder flavors, a better-for-you snack or an innovative accompaniment to an everyday meal.

Solazyme Roquette Nutritionals is developing new lipid-rich flours that enable produce developers to create bakery and dessert products with super nutrition and taste. Solazyme Roquette Nutritionals was formed between Solazyme and Roquette as an ingredient solutions provider that develops natural, functional ingredients, like those featuring microalgae, for food and beverage applications.

Historically, wholesale prices don’t go down, but flattening prices for grains, especially wheat, should bolster margins as the impact of lower or stable commodity prices should be more apparent in the second half of 2012.

Consumers are asking for a lot of bars these days. Some want bars to be a healthy, easy snack, while others demand that their bars act as a supplement to an active lifestyle. Many prefer a bar that can substitute for a meal or act as a diet aid. Either way, bar manufacturers are making products that satisfy all of these requirements, so it’s just a matter of picking which bar is right for the job.

Baked goods and snack foods made with whole grains and ancient grains, such as amaranth, oats, quinoa and spelt, used to be sold primarily in specialty natural and organic food stores, healthfood stores and in mom-and-pop stores catering to local ethnic groups. Now, products containing such grains are starting to appear more readily in bakery departments and bread aisles throughout the United States.

Company: thinkproducts, Ventura, Calif.
Website: www.thinkproducts.com
Introduced: January
Distribution: National
Suggested Retail: $1.69-1.99 for a 1.41-oz. bar or a 14.11-oz. box