A handful of prevailing trends are at work across today’s snack and baking industry to help drive sales forward for foodservice operators, ranging from grain and flavor diversity to an increased focus on health and wellness.

Per IRI, Chicago, the salty snacks category was valued at $22.6 billion for the 52 weeks ending April 16, 2017—a number that encompasses potato chips, tortilla chips, extruded/puffed snacks including cheese puffs, ready-to-eat (RTE) popcorn, corn chips, pretzels and pork rinds—and sales were up 3.60 percent for the year (see the July “State of the Industry—Snacks” issue for detailed category data).

A warehouse management system (WMS) centers on software that supports day-to-day operations. WMS programs enable centralized management of a wide range of tasks, including tracking inventory levels and stock locations, order fulfillment, and shipping and receiving.

The current plant-based protein trend is directly in line with public health findings, including recommendations to increase intake of nuts to improve overall diet quality. Nuts and seeds contribute dietary nutrition, as well as adding flavor, visual interest and texture to snacks and baked goods.

As students of all ages head back to school, parents find themselves searching anew for the latest, better-for-you, healthy school snacks that their children can pack into their lunchboxes and backpacks—snacks that feed their mind, as well as their belly.

Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery continues to expand its content lineup with the addition of features on Sanitation in every issue, plus a new column from ABA on Workforce Development.

The 2017 PROCESS EXPO, presented by the Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA), will take place September 19–22 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

At its core, eating quality seals the deal on the repeat purchase of a snack. Those of us in the industry might rank a snack’s hedonistic level—the level of pleasure consumption delivers. Snacks can also face organoleptic scrutiny, determining its positive (or negative) interactions with our senses.

Registration is now open for the largest-ever PACK EXPO Las Vegas, co-located with the Healthcare Packaging EXPO, taking place September 25–27 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The chips market has grown highly diversified over the past several years. In 2017, a chip can run the gamut, including standard potato chips, chips made out of fruits or vegetables, and multigrain options.