The hard pretzel category grew steadily in the past year as consumers stuck at home continued to snack, although fortunes varied significantly from brand to brand. During the past year, consumer focus on cleaner labels and healthier ingredients has ramped up, while manufacturers have continued to experiment with a wider variety of flavors. Pretzel product and ingredient makers predict those trends will continue.

State of the Industry analysis of the buns and rolls category, including hamburger buns, hot dog buns, dinner rolls, and more.

Ingredient handling equipment runs the gamut from storage and transport, to metering, dispensing, and automation addition. Snack food and bakery customers of this equipment are particularly interested in features and benefits like automation, food safety, flexibility, adaptability, quick changeover, ease of maintenance and cleaning, explosion protection, lot tracking, and inventory control.

Companies in the market for new or improved mixers for snack and bakery dough applications have displayed a recent focus on specific features and benefits. These include efficiency, cost savings, pre-hydration, handling of ancient grains, automation of processes, and stepped-up sanitation and maintenance, especially in the wake of COVID-19.

Compact belts and conveyors for snack and bakery production meet demands for cleanability and automation.

Modernized bakeware including pans, tins, trays, and coatings, as well as automated pan handling systems.

Equipment and facility cleaning and sanitation solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Automation, ease of operation, simple cleanability, hygienic design, operator safety, and the ability to process nontraditional and healthier ingredients are among the top of mind requests for snack and bakery operators looking to buy or upgrade laminators or sheeters.

How does proper lubrication impact the performance of machines in snack food and wholesale bakery facilities? And how does that relate back to their use of sensors for processing-related issues like quality assurance and control, food safety, efficiency and productivity, and product verification?

How can sensors be used to refine and streamline supply chain and logistics in industries like snack food and wholesale bakery?