Fats, oils, starches, fiber, dough conditioners and texturizers all serve critical functional roles in snacks and baked goods, particularly maintaining the quality of the product throughout the desired shelf life. As consumers demand cleaner labels, more health-and-wellness benefits and better sustainability, product developers face a wide range of functional ingredient challenges.

Most people enjoy chocolate. According to Mintel, 85 percent of U.S. consumers buy chocolate. And Euromonitor estimates U.S. consumers eat an average of 9.5 lbs. of chocolate per year.

It should come as no surprise that taste is king and is one of the most important attributes when it comes to the success of a food or beverage product.

Snack producers and bakeries are making efforts to include more fruit ingredients in the products they offer to appeal to consumers looking for healthier, better-for-you food choices. Use of real fruit ingredients resonates with consumers, since it communicates a fresh, real, wholesome message.

More people are growing increasingly aware of the amount of sugar in their diets. The 2017 "Food & Health Survey" from the International Food Information Council found that 76 percent of respondents were trying to limit or avoid sugar.

Milk, cheese and eggs are dietary staples. In the U.S., on average, we consume 36.6 pounds of cheese, 268 eggs and 18 gallons of milk per person each year, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. From 2014–16, the consumption of eggs grew 1.9 percent and the consumption of cheese grew almost 6.5 percent.