Bakery Industry

Nestlé’s Aero chocolate bar brand has launched its first ever biscuit in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Aero Biscuit, which combines the iconic brand’s air-bubble filled chocolate with round pieces of biscuit, is aimed particularly at women aged from 25 to 44.

Graham Walker, Trade Communications Manager for Nestlé UK, explained the significance of the new Aero addition.

He said: “Aero Biscuit will bring consumers who currently buy chocolate confectionery into the biscuit category.

“The great combination of Aero bubbly chocolate and crunchy biscuit bubbles makes it ideal for consumers looking for a sweet snack

source
Nestlé Global

There  are several  parameters  to check for  dough consistency during mixing process  and its becomes very difficult for new operators to  achieve  efficiency  in short time . With software available  manufacturers are automating and integrating systems with software  to get process data  and standardize process parameter which helps them to reduce waste and increase productivity .

Here is  a case study  of  a  Dutch  bakery manufacturer - Bolletje 

Bolletje, a Dutch baked goods manufacturer with 500 employees and three plants in the Netherlands, needed to solve a production issue: variation in the quality of its dough from batch to batch due to inconsistent process execution. The company turned to long-time partner, GE Intelligent Platforms, for a solution that would help the baker not only improve quality, but also achieve better insight into inventory and provide a method of tracing its products from the bakery to the store.

The selection and implementation of the Proficy solution was initially driven by the company’s information technology group that was looking for an integrated implementation with one interface and easy, actionable access to information. As the potential gains became clearer, the production group took on overall project management and engaged additional stakeholders. Management’s goal was to make sure it could bring new operators on board quickly and efficiently without a loss in productivity or quality. Shift leaders wanted less waste and more throughput.

The baker started the implementation of the software with a small production line that primarily produced the dough for specialty seasonal- and holiday-themed products, and then expanded to three additional lines that were involved in making dough for pretzels. Working with Novotek, GE’s partner in the Netherlands, Bolletje chose the Proficy software platform because it provided an integrated system for batch execution, MES automation and visualization. The combination of Proficy iFIX, Historian and Plant Applications became the standard manufacturing platform for Bolletje, giving the company better control and visibility into the whole manufacturing process.

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New UK research has found supermarkets’ unlabelled in-store bakery bread is generally higher in salt than the supermarkets’ packaged bread, with differences of more than half a gram between similar products.

Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH) surveyed the salt content of 294 fresh and packaged loaves from supermarkets and their in-store bakeries as well as chain and independent high street bakeries in the UK.

The report also claims that high street chain bakeries generally sell the saltiest bread and fresh loaves do not have crucial nutritional labelling. The investigation found that an unpackaged bread from leading retailer Sainsbury’s contained over half a gram (0.55g) more salt per 100g than the packaged equivalent (Medium Wholemeal).

CASH notes positive action by industry on reducing salt levels in bread, reporting a cut in salt levels cut by a third in the last 10 years, and some breads being reduced by more than 40 per cent.

“Tesco Value Medium Sliced Wholemeal Bread for example has been reduced by 43 per cent in the last 10 years from 1.75g/100g to 1.0g/100g while Sainsbury's Medium Wholemeal loaf has been reduced by 41 per cent from 1.25g/100g in 2001 to 0.74g/100g in 2011, showing that bigger reductions are easily possible,” finds the report.

source
foodnavigator.com

UK bread manufacturer representatives, the Federation of Bakers, today said it welcomes the CASH review recognition of industry efforts to meet the salt targets set by the UK’s Foods Standards Agency.

Bloomberg reported that Kraft Foods Inc.  announced that it will invest $36 million by the end of the year to build a new biscuit factory in Ukraine, according to Taras Lukachuk Kraft CEO for Ukraine, Central and Eastern Europe.

The new factory will be based in central Ukraine and will start operating in the fourth quarter of this year.

Currently, Kraft Foods has two plants in the Central Ukraine area that produce coffee and chocolate.

source
Bloomberg