Buckle up. The top trend driving innovation in the snack and bakery industries has no formal definition, isn't regulated, and is shifting all of the time. Yes, clean label demands are touching every facet of the food industry, from formulation to packaging and marketing, and everything in between.

Artisan baking goes hand-in-hand with high-quality ingredients. And as more artisan baking emerges in the market, ancient grains and heirloom wheats can be important differentiators.

Bay State Milling has announced its partnership with internationally recognized nutrition expert Jill Weisenberger, MS, RD, CDE, to promote the remarkable benefits of HealthSense high fiber wheat flour within the healthcare community.

Anyone who thinks the gluten-free market has peaked needs to think again. According to a December 2018 report from Zion Market Research, the global gluten-free product market was valued at around $4.72 billion in 2017. By 2024, that value is expected to nearly double to reach $7.6 billion.

Two areas of frozen bakery products that have seen strong traction over the past year are frozen breakfast items like waffles and frozen pizza, with trends like clean label, premium offerings and health-conscious considerations factoring into growth.

Every new year, people make resolutions to break bad habits or start good ones. Generally, everyone is focused on self-improvement and wellness.

Bread is the most-important category in the baking industry, but also one of the most-challenging for building appreciable growth. For the 52 weeks ending November 4, 2018, the fresh bread and rolls category grew 0.13 percent in dollar sales to $13.4 billion, per IRI, Chicago.

For a culture focused on convenience and clean-label nutrition, bars continue to deliver. Sales of snack and granola bars on the whole have grown 2.9 percent during the 52 weeks ending October 7, 2018, according to data from IRI, Chicago, hitting a value of $6.2 billion.

It's that time of year, the most wonderful time of year. The time for family, friends and, of course, food. Thanksgiving has come and gone, and so have the leftovers. Now we're in the throes of the holiday season with more gatherings every weekend.

Some people place such a high emphasis on quality that they hang their shingle on it, like Publican Quality Bread has in Chicago. Just bite into any of the signature artisan breads the bakery distributes to restaurants throughout the city and you'll have all the personal experience you need to define quality bread for yourself.