15 minute read
Show Features
The IBIE experience is a total professional development package for baking industry professionals of every type and at every level. In addition to a million square feet of exhibition space and IBIEducate’s world-class programming, Baking Expo’s features round out the entire show experience. With a combination of IBIE favorites and new features addressing modern industry issues, there’s a show feature for every attendee.
Return to the craft of baking
The Artisan Marketplace, back by popular demand, provides an unparalleled opportunity for any baker to learn and grow from experts in the field. Located in West Hall Booth #3645, this show feature, crafted by Puratos, is chock-full of expert-led demos and talks, along with other interactive and innovative portions.
Celebrating the global industry’s innovations
The BEST in Baking Awards recognize suppliers and bakers committed to positively influencing the baking industry. Established in 2010, the awards have expanded to honor leaders and celebrate achievement in topics like sustainability, sanitation and more. This year, plant efficiency and automation/robotics join the award categories in North Hall Booth #5847.
Which bake will take the cake?
Creative Cake Decorating Competition is centered on innovation at North Hall Booth #5847. Six teams of two will face-off in four categories: wedding cake, rolled fondant, buttercream and “Everything is Cake,” a hyper-realistic category. A panel of celebrity judges, including Jorg Amsler and Kathleen Lang, will determine the winners of the Pillsbury Bakers’ Plus Grand Champion Trophy. Gold, silver and bronze medals, along with cash prizes, will be awarded for the highest three scores in each category.
It’s high time we discussed baking with cannabis
Cannabis Central is new in town and a must-visit for IBIE attendees. Powered by Cannabis Products, this feature located in North Hall Booth #7547 showcases the unique challenges and opportunities for businesses interested in the cannabis baked goods space. It also provides an opportunity for bakers and suppliers to connect in addition to education sessions, demos and thought leadership.
The future of baking technology, today
Innovation Showcase, located on the Skybridge, gives attendees a chance to peruse new products and technology in categories like ingredients, equipment, packaging and safety.
A star-studded baking exhibition
RBA Bakers Center, decorated by Corbion and located in North Hall Booth #5847, is home to four action-packed stages: the American Cake Decorating Magazine Stage, Celebrity Demo Stage, Presentation Stage and Pillsbury Creative Cake Decorating Competition Stage. RBA Bakers Center visitors can learn from some of the top influencers in the baking industry, including Buddy Valastro from Carlo’s Bakery, Amsler, Lang and more.
American Pie Council’s top pie-ority
The Great American Pie Festival is the place to be. Filled with live entertainment, prizes, refreshments and a variety of readymade pies from baking manufacturers, this show feature grants wholesalers the opportunity to assess the final products made with cutting, filling and baking equipment. Presented in partnership with the American Pie Council, visitors can drop into North Hall Booth #6360 for a taste of the action.
Get in on a slice of the action
Pizza Industry Information Center is the place to be for those currently offering or interested in adding pizza, whether fresh or frozen, to their product list. Powered by PMQ Pizza Magazine, this show feature allows attendees to learn from field experts on best practices, recipes, food costs, the state of the industry and more. This center can be found at North Hall Booth #7639.
Industry talks and educational stories
QuickBITES is new to the Expo this year, and it’s bringing a valuable opportunity for IBIE attendees. Over the course of four days, North Hall Booth #5847 will host a series of 20-minute presentations from experts in an array of fields to cover topics like grain-foods industry issues, consumer concerns, social responsibility and the future of food.
The future of food safety and sanitation solutions
The Sanitation Pavilion is another one of IBIE’s new show features and is centered on an increasingly significant topic, especially after consumers’ heightened food-safety concerns from the past few years. This solutions-oriented aspect of the show offers a centralized, convenient corner of the West Hall in Booths #333, #337, #432-434, #436 and #437 for IBIE guests to discover solutions from those who specialize in sanitation.
May the best loaf win
The Tiptree World Bread Awards USA will stage its comeback at this year’s Expo. Over the past two years, the awards mixed it up to celebrate the Bread Heroes supporting their respective communities. Now, it’s back and ready to reward the best in bread in North Hall Booth #6346. Judging and the awards ceremony will take place on the IBIE 2022 show floor along with baking demonstrations from previous award recipients.
To take a deeper dive into the details of these show features, visit the IBIE website.
Scan the QR code to get there now.
Turning Over a New Leaf
This new IBIE show feature puts the spotlight on cannabis.
BY MAGGIE GLISAN
This budding industry just keeps growing, and the presence of baking with cannabis at IBIE 2022 is all about taking action.
Cannabis Central, located in the North Hall and powered by Cannabis Products, will allow attendees to learn about this sector, connecting them with suppliers and experts across numerous channels. From product development and formulation to regulatory compliance and packaging, there’s plenty to learn at this pavilion.
The new show feature comes at a time when US support for cannabis decriminalization is stronger than ever. Sales of recreational marijuana are now legal in 31 states, the most recent additions coming in 2021 with New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia and New Mexico.
Public opinion on cannabis also appears to be leaning in the industry’s favor. As consumer demand for products with functional benefits continues, using cannabis for pain relief, inflammation reduction or improving sleep becomes more appealing.
A November 2021 Gallup poll found that 68% of Americans now support full cannabis legalization, and an April 2021 Pew Research Center survey found that support increases to 90% when used specifically for health, wellness and medical needs.
But cannabis isn’t just trendy; it’s a booming business. In legal US states, the overall market is valued at $25 billion, with 40% sales growth in 2021 according to BDSA retail sales tracking. The edibles category accounted for about 15% of dollar sales and is expected to grow to $6 billion by 2025.
Jessica Cristadoro, president and CEO of cannabis-infused business solu-
Cannabis Central will offer a plethora of resources on baking with this highly complex ingredient.
tion provider The Vivid Team, expects IBIE attendees to be more prepared to act than in years past due to urgency by manufacturers to begin the process of adding these products to their portfolios.
With suppliers and experts available to cover topics including R&D, manufacturing, regulation, packaging and labeling, food safety, and more, there will be no shortage of resources for Expo-goers.
“Previously, there were a lot of manufacturers that would attend out of curiosity,” Cristadoro said. “But now, I
feel like companies are starting to plan for incorporating cannabis and thinking, ‘How can we actually position ourselves?’ Especially when they do the math on margins and realize that the brownie they currently sell can be worth 10 times more with cannabis.”
Although cannabis’ lucrative nature might lure in potential manufacturers, Cristadoro said that proper planning is critical for success. Significant portions of the pavilion will focus on areas like regulatory compliance, packaging and formulation. “Compliance is paramount, and there’s a huge knowledge gap,” she said.
That includes the ever-changing legal landscape that varies between states.
“One huge difference between starting a commercial bakery versus starting a commercial cannabis bakery is that the risk is very high,” Cristadoro added. “And if you approach it without a team that knows what it’s doing, then you run a risk not only of a business failure but of also breaking the law.”
To help attendees navigate the legal roadmap, experts from two law firms will be on hand to offer assistance during and after the show as well as shed light on where policy might be headed. Steven Schain, senior counsel for Schain Law Firm will also present “How to Infuse Baked Goods with CannabisDerived Products…LEGALLY” at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Food safety is another area in which manufacturers must be well-versed.
“Cannabis takes your day-to-day food safety and compliance and puts it on steroids,” Cristadoro said. “Your standards have to be really high.” Events at the Cannabis Central Pavilion will dive into the topic.
On Sunday, Sept. 18, Tara Froemming, marketing specialist for Healthy Food Ingredients, will present “The Future of Hemp Cannabinoid Innovation: How Brands Can Meet Safety, Quality and Efficacy Standards.” And at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, Hilary Brown, director of technical and analytical services for SōRSE Technology, will zero in on safety, quality and usage of cannabis ingredients for baked goods.
For many attendees, this will be their first foray into cannabis as an ingredient, and one session, led by Cristadoro at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, will focus on just that. “There are many different formats to consider,” she said. “There’s oil, there’s butter, there’s isolate, distillate, crude. What does it all mean? And why should you care ?”
There’s also the psychoactive aspect to consider. Cristadoro said that while there will be a big focus on psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the pavilion will also highlight trends and branding of non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) that can be used in mainstream foods and beverages.
To distinguish those differences and why they’re important to consumers, Jeff Chen, CEO of Radicle Science, will present “The Effects of THC, CBD, Rare Cannabinoids and How to Harness Them,” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18.
On the culinary side, Keegan Gerhard, chef and owner of Denver’s D Bar Restaurant and head judge of the Food Network’s Food Network Challenge will be baking on the main stage with a focus on flavor. He’ll explore how to mask the cannabis flavor in baked goods as well as how to pair it with different ingredients to make the taste more appealing.
For those beginning to think about a cannabis F&B business, several speakers will provide insights on earlystage development. At 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, Peggy Moore, CEO of Love’s Oven, will share her knowledge in “How to Start a Cannabis Business.”
Love’s Oven was an early cannabis baking player and has been producing small-batch cannabis-infused bars, brownies and cookies since 2009. Steffen Weck, owner of Food Business Consulting, will also present at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19 with “Cannabis 101 Development: What I Wish I Had Known About Working with Cannabis.”
Marketing is yet another piece to the cannabis puzzle that comes with its own challenges.
“When it comes to cannabis, your consumer and your customer are totally different from traditional baking,” Cristadoro said. “Your consumer ranges the entire gamut of age groups, but then your customer is the dispensary owner and the budtender. So, you have to think strategically about speaking to both of those audiences.”
At the Expo, there will be a booth dedicated to helping attendees navigate their own strategic messaging, branding and promotions, including experts from Blazen Promos, That’s Graffiti and DJ Shadoe.
Whether IBIE attendees are looking to grow an already established cannabis bakery business or get a brand-new business off the ground, the Cannabis Central Pavilion will provide a plethora of diverse resources. CB
Clean Commitment
From particulates to allergens, there’s no aspect of sanitation IBIE won’t touch.
BY LIZ GOODWIN
© Tetiana Shyshkina on Unsplash
Sesame seeds will be top of mind for food producers worrying about allergens. The context of the word “clean” has certainly evolved since IBIE 2019.
COVID-19 turned everything the world knew about health and safety on its head. This was new territory for many, full of face masks and disposable gloves at gas stations and industrial-size pumps of hand sanitizer around every corner. The baking industry also evolved with the term clean, though it’s always been top of mind in one way or another.
As new allergens — and innovations — push sanitation past its previous boundaries, IBIE is bringing the baking industry together to strategize on overcoming challenges big and small.
Baking Expo will introduce a new show feature dedicated to keeping it clean: The Sanitation Pavilion. Located in the West Hall, it will serve as a central hub for bakers and suppliers to assemble and collaborate on this important topic.
Nathan Mirdamadi, senior food specialist at Commercial Food Sanitation, a division of Intralox, will share insights on something that every bread, bun and roll manufacturer is thinking about: sesame seeds. When this tiny ingredient officially becomes the ninth major allergen in the US on Jan. 1, 2023, it could have a major impact on sanitation practices. And though bakeries are used to handling allergens, it’s a whole new ball game with this little seed.
“This particular allergen is going to be complicated for the baking industry,” Mirdamadi said. “As soon as I saw this [will become] law, I started talking to many of my customers saying, ‘We need to get ahead of this because it’s going to be huge.’”
Mirdamadi said that sesame is especially challenging because it’s such a small particulate. While it’s not as microscopic as traces of dairy or soy — something that requires testing to detect — sesame seeds are a lot smaller and more liberally used than larger, more expensive allergens
such as almonds or peanuts. Sesame seeds are also often dumped atop products, dispersing them everywhere.
“It’s like going to be like going the beach and trying to clean up every grain of sand,” Mirdamadi said of how difficult it is to thoroughly clean sesame seeds from bakery equipment. “I won’t say ‘impossible,’ but it’s about as close to that word as operators have seen.”
During Mirdamadi’s discussion at IBIE, he will share what he and his team have learned through their partnership with a number of baking companies including Aspire Bakeries. One of his copresenters will be Jill Weyhgandt, director of quality and food safety for Aspire, and she will discuss some of the baking company’s efforts as well.
“We’re going to tag team it and talk about all the different approaches that bakeries have tried,” Mirdamadi said. “Obviously dedicating a line or facility is the first goal, but if you decide that’s not an option, you will have to do changeovers. So, we will be talking about the strategies that have been successful and unsuccessful.”
The presentation will also touch on the science side of sesame and how to reduce cross-contamination. Mirdamadi strongly believes that bakeries should have dedicated pans for seeded and unseeded buns. Many bakeries are already doing this due to the different product sizes, but if they aren’t, starting now can avoid having to attempt to clean every seed off those pans. Although high heat can eliminate the detection of an allergenic protein on a pan that may have had allergens on it, that doesn’t mean it still isn’t there.
“If you heat an allergen, it may not be detectable with some methods, but it doesn’t change the fact it’s still allergenic,” Mirdamadi said, referring to the residuals that can cause crosscontamination.
“If your three-year-old builds a massive Lego set and crushes it, but goes to bed without picking them up, that’s like a protein being denatured,” Mirdamadi suggested, harking back to an analogy he learned from a well-known expert in toxicology and allergens. “But if you decide to get up and get a glass of water at 2 a.m., and you step on one of those pieces, it’s still going to hurt.”
With more allergens still popping up, Mirdamadi will also dive into the importance of equipment with hygienic design. As the future of food evolves, he suggested that investing in equipment that can help prepare an operation for those changes is a smart move.
“Our ability to detect contaminants in food is increasing at a rate that outpaces our ability to mitigate the risk,” he said. “Think about listeria: before the mid-’80’s, we didn’t commonly associate that with food. Fast forward 30 years, and things like listeria and allergens are primary concerns. And it’s only going to get more difficult as regulators and the industry get their hands on advancing technologies. As many of our parents told us as kids, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And that’s where we’re at [with sanitation].”
As Mirdamadi prepares to dive into these issues and more at the Las Vegas Convention Center in September, he expressed his excitement for providing inmportant insight and facilitating discussions during this critical point in baking’s history. CB
