November's Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery publication features our cover report: Salty snacks legend Herr Foods celebrates 75 years of growth; plus much more!
When James S. Herr, known as Jim, entered the fledgling potato chip industry with Herr’s Potato Chips in 1946, purchasing a small storefront location in Lancaster, PA, he established a legacy of enduring tradition guiding waves of ensuing generations.
The snack and bakery industry continues to face a difficult road when it comes to staffing. Challenges related to filling open positions for skilled and unskilled production personnel have persisted for years. But the past several months have proven particularly trying as employers seek to fill available jobs with individuals from an increasingly wary, pandemic-weary America.
Now more than ever, in the midst of a global pandemic, it is imperative for companies to have stringent maintenance and sanitation protocols, prioritizing employee safety. Luckily, many companies are upping their game, and even installing new maintenance and employee relief areas.
Traceability takes a top spot in modern food industry food safety strategies, following every aspect of the supply chain through manufacturing and to the point of consumer purchase.
Snack and bakery companies looking at new or improve extrusion equipment to create puffed and popped snacks, bakery items like nutrition bars, and other types of SKUs have features and benefits like cleanability, flexibility, and remote support high on their list of considerations, according to companies that make extrusion equipment.
The latest form/fill/seal (FFS) systems are designed for versatility and are adaptable to many different bag types, film types, and bag sizes, which is good news for bakery and snack producers. They also incorporate improved sanitary design and can handle green sustainable materials such as paper packaging.
The pandemic has heightened consumers' interest in health and well-being. According to the 2021 IFIC Food and Health Survey, 58 percent of respondents stated that healthfulness had an impact on their food and beverage decisions.
Over the past few months, after nearly two years of disruption, I've been getting back into the saddle, visiting with the industry across the many pathways I carve through the course of my work.