Kimberly Decker

Kimberly J. Decker is a Bay Area food writer. With a degree in food science and a minor in English from the University of California - Davis, Decker has worked in product development for the frozen sector and written about food, nutrition, and the culinary arts.

Shaping artisan bread in a post-pandemic age

Consumers crave fresh-baked artisan bread, partially due to in-home pandemic baking.

Kimberly Decker

September 26, 2022

Consumers crave fresh-baked artisan bread, partially due to in-home pandemic baking.

Embracing sustainable production for a better environment

Brands seek to reduce their environmental footprints.

Kimberly Decker

August 15, 2022

Snack and bakery brands are factoring sustainability into their production models, and their ingredient and equipment suppliers are doing the same.

State of the Industry 2022: Chips continue to reign supreme

Although COVID-19 changed the snacking landscape, chips continue to resonate with consumers.

Kimberly Decker

July 14, 2022

All that and a bag of chips: You don’t have to be an Urban Dictionary editor to know that the phrase suggests something’s pretty special. And given the continued dynamism in today’s chips space, it’s apparent that snack chips—from retro potato platforms to better-for-you fruit and grain options—are something special, indeed. One could even argue they’re “all that” and a whole lot more.

From fringe to formulation: Making organic snacks and baked goods mainstream

Kimberly Decker

April 21, 2022

A few generations ago, finding anything organic was hard work. Now, although organic food is mainstream, it's still hard work to formulate and produce to USDA's National Organic Program.

Immunity: snack and bakery’s next frontier

In the midst of the pandemic, consumers search for immunity-boosting snacks.

Kimberly Decker

February 22, 2022

It may be hard to imagine now, with the omicron variant laying waste to travel plans and sending us back behind masks yet again, but immunity as a wellness concern had been buzzing since long before anyone knew what SARS-CoV-2 was.

Crackers category ups its game with exciting flavors, new SKUs

Consumers look for better-for-you crackers, as well as nostalgic brand names.

Kimberly Decker

January 27, 2022

As far as Carla King is concerned, the contemporary cracker aisle is a far more welcoming, perhaps even a more progressive, place than it was when she was younger.

Consumers search for fun - yet healthy - bars

The COVID-19 pandemic has consumers looking for bars with plant protein, pro- and prebiotics, and more.

Kimberly Decker

December 24, 2021

Perhaps as long as a decade from now, snack and bakery professionals will still be reckoning with the pandemic’s effects on consumer preferences and, subsequently, their own product development. And when they do, our current focus on wellness will continue to loom large.

Pastry market trends: Still hitting the sweet spot

COVID-19 catalyzes multiple variables impacting bakery businesses.

Kimberly Decker

September 22, 2021

It's a safe bet that nobody in the sweet-goods or pastry sectors, nobody anywhere, for that matter, expected still to be contending with COVID-19 a full year and a half after lockdowns threw the baking industry, and life as we know it, into upheaval.

Snack and bakery brands support sustainability inside and out

Companies cater to consumers’ preferences on packaging, including recyclable options.

Kimberly Decker

August 23, 2021

Lest anyone think that the pandemic pressed "pause" on campaigns for corporate sustainability, think again. If anything, COVID-19 reminded consumers, and the snack and bakery sectors, just how interconnected we are, whether we’re selecting suppliers, expanding production, or packing a protein bar into our gym bags.

State of the Industry 2021: Snack mixes and nuts return to their “on the go” roots

From shelter-in-place to outdoor escapes, it’s been a “mixed bag” for snack mixes and nuts.

Kimberly Decker

August 2, 2021

Brands in the snack-mix and nut spaces could be forgiven for waxing a little Dickensian as they look back on the year that was. For while the events that characterized 2020, and that persist, to an extent, today, don't quite measure up to "the best of times" or "the worst of times," they do tell something of "A Tale of Two Snacking Scenarios."

Tired of double-digit energy and utility cost increases hampering the bottom line of your candy or confectionery business? What if you could reduce your dehumidification related energy costs by up to 50%—all while solving an important sustainability challenge?

Kimberly Decker

ARTICLES

Shaping artisan bread in a post-pandemic age

Embracing sustainable production for a better environment

State of the Industry 2022: Chips continue to reign supreme

From fringe to formulation: Making organic snacks and baked goods mainstream

Immunity: snack and bakery’s next frontier

Crackers category ups its game with exciting flavors, new SKUs

Consumers search for fun - yet healthy - bars

Pastry market trends: Still hitting the sweet spot

Snack and bakery brands support sustainability inside and out

State of the Industry 2021: Snack mixes and nuts return to their “on the go” roots

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