A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR…

Baking industry professionals continue to watch commodity prices closely. Ongoing issues such as sugar’s high prices and supply constraints put the strain of uncertainty squarely in the middle of the boardroom table during budgeting meetings and quarterly forecasts. Now, mix in the regulatory requirements with the historic passing of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Tighter controls, increased transparency of safety records and detailed food safety plans agreeably put more pressure on companies’ reporting practices and personnel. We’re up to the challenge. At Oak State our Research & Development team working closely with our Production team is continuously tasked to bring innovative concepts and processes to our customers’ needs. The requisites of the Food Safety Modernization Act are an extension to our already defined strategic direction.

While innovation has never been more important to the baked goods producers and a driving force behind Oak State’s culture, sustainability and corporate social responsibility also continue to influence the way we do business.

Learn more about how Innovation sets Oak State apart.
Learn more about Our Commitment to Sustainability.
Learn more about Our Capabilities.

We encourage the baking industry and food manufacturers to share ideas and best practices at this year’s industry events.  Here’s where we’ll be in 2011.

Innovation and Sustainability – key themes at this year’s IBIE show

The Oak State team was on ground at the IBIE tradeshow in Las Vegas this month. For Oak State Innovation has always been a strategic focus and driving factor in our success, therefore our Engineering and Packaging teams scoured the show floor for new ideas and equipment.

Super Fruits remain hot. Ingredient vendors were actively promoting their nutritional, natural and healthy products. Functionality continues to be a key concern as we explore new opportunities for our products.

Several new dough processing and packaging machines were displayed. At Oak State, equipment cleaning is a priority when looking at new machines. Dave Van Laar, Oak State’s CEO and president, was quoted in Baking Business trade magazine before the IBIE show “If it doesn’t pass the test for sanitation, we’re not even going to look at it.” We’re happy to report we found many suppliers getting the message and building allergen cleanable equipment.

Sustainability was another key theme at this year’s show dovetailing perfectly with Oak State’s goal to aggressively reduce energy usage over the next few years. We’re pleased our equipment vendors are on-board to help us meet these goals. We checked out some interesting examples of soft start and reduced energy usage motors being displayed at the show.

Learn more out Oak State’s approach to innovation and sustainability at www.oakstate.com.

Introducing the new www.oakstate.com

Take a “walk-through” the new www.oakstate.com to learn more on how Oak State is leading the way in innovative contract baking.