Maxine Weber

The idea of "better for you" encompasses much of what consumers desire today in many of their snacks and baked goods: clean label, non-GMO, natural and—at its core—solid nutrition to make those foods a healthy part of their daily diet.

In the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA recommended that we consume 6 ounce equivalents of grains per day, half of which should be whole grains.

The current plant-based protein trend is directly in line with public health findings, including recommendations to increase intake of nuts to improve overall diet quality. Nuts and seeds contribute dietary nutrition, as well as adding flavor, visual interest and texture to snacks and baked goods.

Formulating products with the ever-increasing demands of today’s marketplace is no easy task.

Chocolate is more ubiquitous than ever. You can find a chocolate-flavored version of just about any snack or bakery product.

Welch’s Global Ingredients Group discusses how its fruit ingredients can deliver to prevailing snacking trends.

Both flavor and color suppliers are continuing to bring new solutions to their clients, to meet the demands of the marketplace.

Keeping up with changing consumer desires is a constant activity. The shifting perceptions of snack and bakery categories are no different.

We often equate January with the start of diet season. The past two months of overindulging are now behind us, and it’s time to be responsible eaters again.

I have a former boss who used to say that whatever food a consumer liked, chances are they would like it even more if it were topped with cheese. Considering all of its dairy splendor, it’s no wonder that cheese is big business.