Author: mmoao

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — When seeking to automate their production lines, wholesale bakeries face a complex challenge that involves balancing their simultaneous needs for flexibility, efficiency and greater capacity while adequately training their often-understaffed workforce to operate and maintain the latest advances in technology. That was the main focus from a…

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — The US baking industry enjoys boundless potential if it harnesses the energetic participation of American Bakers Association membership, said William M. Quigg, chief executive officer of Richmond Baking Co., Richmond, Ind., and the newly elected chair of the ABA. Quigg spoke to the group’s membership April 16…

Precision agriculture – the use of a network of sensors to respond to changing variables, and thus make agriculture more efficient and more sustainable – has significant potential, especially in the food supply chain. However, adoption, along with integration, remains a key challenge. How can the data be integrated? And…

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. – A minority of states have passed laws in recent months restricting certain ingredients and imposing responsibilities regarding packaging on companies, but the reach of the laws is far wider and necessitates the broad attention of the US baking industry, said William Dumais III, ABA’s state affairs manager.…

Popular across the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia and Southern Europe, buffalo yogurt is more of a novelty food in the US and Western Europe, where untapped commercial opportunities are abundant. With a dense, creamy texture similar to that of Greek yogurt, buffalo yogurt has a distinct flavor profile…

Labor is the conundrum facing the baking industry that refuses to go away. And just like egg replacement or sugar reduction, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Every bakery is different, and every labor force is different based on geography and background, so each bakery must find the right system of strategies…

In February 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced​​ grease-proofing materials containing per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), or forever chemicals, would no longer be used in new food packaging such as microwave popcorn bags, fast-food wrappers and takeout boxes sold to US consumers. In a nod to progressing food…

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. – A range of regulatory actions, many by the Department of Labor (DOL), demand baking industry attention, said Rasma Zvaners, vice president of government relations for the American Bakers Association. Zvaners offered bakers a rapid-fire regulatory/legislative update April 15 during the ABA annual meeting at the Westin Kierland…

The plant-based dairy market continues to grow. Globally, plant-based dairy – made up of milk, yoghurt, cheese, ice cream and creamer alternatives – is expected to skyrocket​ in the coming years, from $27bn (€24.8bn) in 2023 to $43.6bn by 2028. Growing to a lesser degree, however, is the range of…

KANSAS CITY — There were moments during the 2024 annual meeting of the American Bakers Association when it seemed as though the industry was operating in alternate universes. In one, at the well-attended meeting in sunny Scottsdale, Ariz., ABA’s leaders spoke forcefully about how the group will achieve a new…