Summer is here—finally! It’s time to hit a few golf balls and kick back. It’s also time to peruse our annual State of the Industry issues (June and July). This month, we’re covering the bakery market, which includes the bread aisle, sweet goods, cookies, bars, snack cakes, frozen baked goods, tortillas, pies and more.

It doesn’t feel like Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery is 100 years old, and that’s partly because we have changed names, formats, management, ownership and staffs several times throughout our long existence.

Consumers are asking for a lot of bars these days. Some want bars to be a healthy, easy snack, while others demand that their bars act as a supplement to an active lifestyle. Many prefer a bar that can substitute for a meal or act as a diet aid. Either way, bar manufacturers are making products that satisfy all of these requirements, so it’s just a matter of picking which bar is right for the job.

The company that makes Clif Bars hopes to have 80% of its ingredients USDA organic and certified sustainable by 2015.

Growth in demand for healthy snacking pushes manufacturers to target energy and nutrition bars at the health-conscious consumer.

Company: Fullbar, LLC, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Website: www.fullbar.com
Introduced: January
Distribution: National
Suggested Retail: $5.99 to $11.99 for a 9.54-oz. box

Company: thinkproducts, Ventura, Calif.
Website: www.thinkproducts.com
Introduced: January
Distribution: National
Suggested Retail: $1.69-1.99 for a 1.41-oz. bar or a 14.11-oz. box

As more consumers scrutinize ingredients in the foods they buy, bakers and snack producers are turning to inclusions to create better-for-you products that deliver irresistible taste.