Baking & Snack - March 2019 - 16

Blue Diamond Growers to
expand almond plant

Snacks skewing toward
wellness, portability
Attitudes about snack foods have undergone a metamorphosis.
Once considered guilty pleasures, snack foods have become eating
occasion alternatives for a nation of on-the-go consumers, according to The NPD Group's "Future of Snacking" report.
"Snack foods continue to evolve both as between-meal snacks
and as part of main meals," said David Portalatin, food industry
adviser for NPD. "Each of these snack food roles is changing in different ways in reaction to Americans' desire for balance, portable
snack foods and holistic wellness."
Americans consumed 386 billion ready-to-eat snack foods last year,
NPD said, with the majority of those eaten between main meals. As
this trend expands, snack manufacturers seeking success will need to
meet three snack food needs that are forecast to grow: wellness, such
as snacks with more protein; portability, such as single-serve snacks;
and uniqueness, such as uncommon flavor mashups.
While wellness is trending, indulgent snack foods also are staging a comeback by walking the line between health and enjoyment,
NPD said. Low-calorie, high-protein ice cream varieties and thinner versions of cookies are on the rise.
Additionally, consumers' snack food choices are not limited
strictly to flavor, NPD said. They also seek a unique experience.
Emerging attributes for snacks include sensory elements such as
texture, heat and aromatics.
"Snacking is no longer just about eating when you're bored or
eating for additional sustenance," Mr. Portalatin said. "Today and
in the future, snacking is about solving small problems for consumers, and those problems present opportunities for food marketers across a variety of dayparts and needs."
- Rebekah Schouten, Food Business News

Correction
An announcement in Baking & Snack, February 2019, Page 22,
incorrectly listed a new position for Ken Meyer of Formost Fuji,
Woodinville, WA. Mr. Meyer was named chief operations manager.
16 Baking & Snack March 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

Blue Diamond Growers, Sacramento, CA, announced an expansion of its processing facility in Turlock, CA. The addition supports plans to increase production of value-added product lines
and distribute new almond products globally.
The latest phase of the three-part project is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2019 and includes new automated processing and
packaging equipment. Over the next nine years, the site will span
500,000 sq ft of building space, according to the company.
"We are pleased to build our partnership with the Turlock community by investing to expand our facilities and workforce," said
Mark Jansen, president and CEO of Blue Diamond Growers. "We
are creating the healthiest almond products and delivering the
benefits of almonds to the world."
The company first announced plans to build the plant in April
2012, creating more than 100 jobs.
- Monica Watrous, Milling & Baking News

IBIE adds education-only day
The International Baking Industry Exposition's (IBIE) education
program, IBIEducate, will include an education-only day this year
at the show in Las Vegas. New for 2019 will be a full day of learning on Sept. 7, one day prior to the exhibit hall opening.
The program will offer more than 100 sessions of targeted educational opportunities for attendees in every role and every segment
of the baking industry. IBIE's comprehensive program will be offered in specialized tracks and address trends and topics across a
spectrum of industry needs. Andrea Henderson, chair of the IBIE
Education Task Force and vice-president at Rondo, Moonachie, NJ,
said the additional day of education comes in direct consideration of
attendee feedback from the last IBIE held in 2016.
"We heard from attendees that they were challenged on how to
balance their schedule between IBIEducate sessions and the time
needed to meet with suppliers on the show floor," Ms. Henderson
said. "By introducing this dedicated day of learning before the exhibit hall opens, we're creating an opportunity for attendees to take
full advantage of IBIEducate, gain a more complete experience at
IBIE, and return home more prepared with new ideas and strategies to improve their products, optimize production and support
business growth."
- Eric Schroeder, Milling & Baking News

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Baking & Snack - March 2019

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