Ingredient handling equipment, such as batchers, hoppers, pneumatic conveyors, sifters, sorters and storage silos, helps snack and bakery operations store, refine, prepare, measure and transport ingredients, streamlining production.

A quick survey of the food marketplace identifies a range of foods that fill specific market niches such as dairy-free, nut-free, peanut-free, egg-free and even allergen-free.

Hostess Brands issued an allergen notification alerting consumers that its Indianapolis bakery is now a nut facility.

With current food trends focusing on health-and-wellness, it may be tempting to dismiss the cookie category as out of touch or on its way out. And while most of the top companies operating in the cookie category have seen relatively flat sales activity—or, at best, modest gains—traditional cookies still account for a sizeable portion of this $8 billon category.

Product recalls in bakery and snack categories have remained consistent over the years, with undeclared allergens the primary cause. These costly recalls are preventable!

According to the January 2015 “Gluten-Free Foods in the U.S., 5th Edition” report from Packaged Facts, Rockville, MD, from 2009–2014, sales of gluten-free products in grain-based categories posted a 34 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

Enjoy Life Foods’ cookies, snack bars, chips, cereals, granolas and trail mixes are made in an allergen-free, gluten-free facility, and the company’s 40,050-sq.-ft. production plant is bulging at the seams to accommodate growing demand for its products. Enjoy Life is expanding at such a rapid pace, it may need to add a facility or relocate to a larger one. 

It’s Celiac Awareness month, so we explore Enjoy Life Foods, the first bakery to gain gluten-free certification from the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). In business 12 years, Enjoy Life’s mission is to make great-tasting, allergy-free, gluten-free cookies, bars and grab-and-go foods that nearly everyone can ‘eat freely’ without worry.

More first-time exhibitors and exhibitor presentations will greet attendees at the Food Safety Summit, a BNP Media event scheduled for April 8-10 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore.