Traceability is essential in the snack and baking industry. Ingredients always need to be tracked, and this is especially important in the case of a recall. These days, implementing a comprehensive software suite is often an essential step in establishing a strong food safety program.

With consumers more focused on health and nutrition today, and empowered by the internet to follow the latest trends, food companies that cater to their needs will be rewarded and those who lag behind punished by a growing segment of the market.

Sanitary facility design is very important for snack and bakery companies, especially those with legacy facilities. Facility design can help streamline the effectiveness and efficiency of regular sanitary procedures, as well.

Customers of ingredient handling equipment are focused on a wide mix of factors to come up with their optimal formulation. These include accuracy, traceability, food safety, automation, cleanability, efficiency, flexibility, batch quality and fire safety, manufacturers say.

The latest product handling equipment, cartoners, case erectors and packers, loaders and palletizers, features maximum flexibility in terms of product handling and packaging styles, which is good news for bakery and snack producers.

The strategic Bakery Industry Forum (BIF) within the Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds (BEMA) recently has taken on the task of developing an Overall Risk Assessment (ORA) checklist to help address a comprehensive list of aspects related to grain-based product manufacturing

Snack and bakery industry customers want belts and conveyors that are fast and easy to clean, maximize energy efficiency, offer strength and durability, require as few tools as possible, and provide flexibility to either switch out products and/or run multiple products at once.

X-ray, metal detection, checkweighing and vision systems continue to advance, offering bakery and snack producers many ways to improve their quality control programs. Today's sophisticated inspection equipment can detect smaller foreign objects, reduce false rejects, and handle a wider range of products to assure maximum food safety along with higher productivity.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is extremely useful for snack and bakery companies, including its ability to track ingredients and other tasks, thereby making companies more efficient.