Processing & packaging

What is driving the MENA snack boom?

What is driving the MENA snack boom?

By Gill Hyslop

The snack market in the Middle East and Africa (MENA) is being fueled by a young population and shifting consumer preferences. But can snack and confectionery producers balance the rising demand for indulgence with the growing focus on health and wellness?

Snack smart: The surge in nutritious nibbles

Snack smart: The surge in nutritious nibbles

By Rachel Truman

Health-conscious consumers are devouring more snacks and demanding more from their choices. And manufacturers are stepping up to the plate with ever more nutritious nibbles.

Is your snack brand ready for the acrylamide challenge?

Is your snack brand ready for the acrylamide challenge?

By Gill Hyslop

Are you up to date on the latest regulations and innovations regarding acrylamide in salty snacks? With rising regulatory pressures and evolving consumer demands, it’s critical to stay ahead – are your strategies up to par?

Rising above with NPD: The new dough-mains of healthier bread

Rising above with NPD: The new dough-mains of healthier bread

By Gill Hyslop

The humble staple has been a part of the fabric of life since the Neolithic era, rising to an everyday essential during the 19th Century with the advent of industrial milling processes. Fast forward a century and it was unfairly tarred with negative...

Should bread be tarnished with the derogatory UPF brush?

Should bread be tarnished with the derogatory UPF brush?

By Gill Hyslop

Ultra processed foods (UPFs) are a hot topic, especially on Capitol Hill, which is following the popular stance that they are typically low in nutritional quality, more prevalent in low income societies and associated with a slightly higher mortality...

RegAg and bakery: A match made in heaven?

RegAg and bakery: A match made in heaven?

By Gill Hyslop

This groundswell movement has been gaining popularity, not only with farmers, but also with policymakers, scientists and the public as the consequences of over-farming have become apparent and the need to be more sustainable come to light. What does it...

Is it possible for the bakery sector to reach net zero?

Is it possible for the bakery sector to reach net zero?

By Gill Hyslop

The food industry is – unsurprisingly – responsible for 26% of the global CO2-eq emissions [Poore & Nemecek 2018: UN FAO; UN AQUASTAT; Bar-On, et al]. However, compared to other processed food, bread and bakery products have a relatively low impact – so...

The heavyweight industry veterans who make up the ABA’s new Board

The heavyweight industry veterans who make up the ABA’s new Board

By Gill Hyslop

The American Baking Association’s (ABA) new Board of Directors is comprised of industry veterans from the many facets of the baking business – including BBU, Flower Foods, Richmond Baking, H-E-B and others – positioning it in a strength of power to grow,...

Upcycled snacks clinch top spot in SNAC Tank Pitch Competition

Upcycled snacks clinch top spot in SNAC Tank Pitch Competition

By Gill Hyslop

Confetti Snacks wowed the judges at the coveted event held at SNAC International’s SNX 2024 in Dallas, Texas, last week. This is just the beginning of an exciting journey, which sees Mickey Mouse, a featurette in an Emmy-award doccie and a dip on the...

How KP Snacks is ramping up its packaging improvement pact

How KP Snacks is ramping up its packaging improvement pact

By Gill Hyslop

The UK snacking giant kicked off 2024 with a renewed focus on packaging commitment: boosting investment that will see a significant reduction in the flow-wrap packaging across its Discos, Roysters and Frisps brands and more recently, introducing 25%...

Bakers Basco reports a drop in bakery equipment attrition rates

Bakers Basco reports a drop in bakery equipment attrition rates

By Gill Hyslop

Omega bread baskets and dolly equipment play a vital role in the supply chain to ensure the continuous daily supply of bread and associated products from bakeries to supermarket shop floors across the UK. Yet they’re often taken unlawfully and used by...

Learn the fundamentals of making crave worthy bread at home

Learn the fundamentals of making crave worthy bread at home

By Gill Hyslop

The team behind the 2,438-page Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking – described as ‘the cookbook to end all cookbooks’ – is now offering free classes to master the art of breadmaking from the comfort of your kitchen.

Real Bread Campaign advocates growing your own loaf

Real Bread Campaign advocates growing your own loaf

By Gill Hyslop

UK food and farming charity Sustain and the Real Bread Campaign have published ‘Bake Your Lawn’ – just in time for spring wheat sowing and planning ahead for winter wheat planting – to inspire breadmakers (be they budding ones or professionals) to grow...