People have always had a love affair with sweet baked goods like pastries, doughnuts and muffins. Today, however, we want sweet treats that are delicious and sometimes even a bit more nutritious, but only slightly less indulgent.

Packaging equipment manufacturers are upgrading bagging and closing equipment to improve operational efficiency and hygienic design, while also adding touches of smart technology and sustainability.

Many corners of the bakery and snack market operate under tight margins, leaving little room for error. A delayed delivery can result in goods that arrive too late to be sold.

Packaging safety is a key issue for snack and bakery producers who strive to safely maximize product shelf life. Innovations such as modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP) and active packaging technologies are leading the way, along with tamper-resistant materials. Also, marking and coding technologies improve traceability.

To meet rising demand for fast delivery, snack and bakery warehouse operations have little room for error. Thus, many look to technological advances, including automation, to minimize the risk of unexpected delays, and to find new ways to streamline inventory management.

Advances in labeling are happening at a rapid pace. Technological leaps in marking/coding technology, printers, and labeling software have improved printing speed, accuracy and flexibility to accommodate a wide range of labels in today's snack and bakery market.

Product-handling equipment, mincluding cartoners and case erectors, packers and loaders, are more automated and more flexible than ever, offering quick changeovers between package formats.

Shipping contamination-free food products to the public has always been business-critical, but today's social media landscape leaves virtually no room for error. A wider variety of products, along with a wide variety of packaging options, have increased the need for more flexible inspection and detection equipment.

Secondary packaging equipment can help snack producers and bakeries perform a variety of necessary functions, including shrink wrapping, shrink bundling, pallet unitizing and case building. The latest systems are also able to meet the demands of a quick-changing market.

The latest form/fill/seal (FFS) packaging systems are more versatile and more adaptable to different bag types, film types and bag sizes than previous versions. That is good news as consumers continue to demand smaller, on-the-go, resealable packages for their snacks and baked goods, and retailers demand packaging formats that bring convenience to their customers.