FROM THE EDITOR Kennedy’s Bakery


EDITORIAL Editor


Kiran Grewal


kgrewal@kennedys.co.uk Features Editor


Suzanne Callander scallander@kennedys.co.uk


Production & Design Marc Miller


ADVERTISING


Business Development Manager


Gary Smythson


gsmythson@kennedys.co.uk 01622 699183


Subscriptions Manager Nic Wood


nic.wood@c-cms.com EVENTS


Gary Smythson


gsmythson@kennedys.co.uk 01622 699183


ACCOUNTS accounts@datateam.co.uk


I have spent much of this summer doing some looking of my own. Travelling through Canada and the US, including Vermont and New Hampshire, has been a useful reminder of just how differently bakery develops from one market to another, even when the underlying consumer demands are remarkably similar. I also visited Rademaker’s Innovation Centre in Chicago, which features as our cover story on page 10. I went expecting plenty of machinery, naturally, but came away particularly interested in the thinking behind it – the testing, engineering and customer conversations that happen before an idea ever reaches a production line. I’ll be bringing much more from that visit to these pages.


That focus on practical innovation carries through our biscuit and cookie production feature on page 18. Manufacturers are dealing with more SKUs, changing formats and shorter production runs, while still being expected to keep efficiency high. It is not the easiest combination to achieve, particularly when every additional changeover has a cost attached to it. On page 22, Rockwell Automation looks at the digital side of this equation, examining how digital twins, unified data and closer collaboration with OEMs can make commissioning less painful and production more predictable. It is one of those areas of technology that can sound rather grand until you consider the very ordinary business problem it is trying to solve: getting a line running properly, and keeping it running properly.


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Set up in 1890, Kennedy’s Confection is the longest– established magazine in the trade and is distributed


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 a  Kiran Grewal, Editor kgrekgrewal@kennedys.co.uk AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2026 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • 3


And after a summer of travel, factory visits and rather too much time thinking about bakery, I’m looking forward to getting back into the room with the people who make this industry tick.


Elsewhere, our morning goods and pastries feature on page 25 considers the curious balancing act facing bakers. Consumers still want butter, texture and indulgence – nobody is queuing up for a croissant because it has a particularly impressive nutritional spreadsheet – but they are also paying closer attention to protein, ingredients and portion size. On page 30, we look more closely at protein’s growing role in biscuit and cookie development and the formulation challenges that come with it. Packaging gets its turn on page 36, with a look at how manufacturers can reduce material use and improve recyclability without forgetting the rather important job of actually protecting the product.


There is plenty to look forward to beyond these pages, too. Südback will bring the bakery community together in Stuttgart this autumn, while the London Chocolate Forum on 5 October will provide another opportunity to discuss some of the issues increasingly shared by bakery and confectionery – from premiumisation and flavour to ingredients, sustainability and changing consumer habits.


Production


EDITOR’S LETTER A


ugust into September feels like a slightly unusual month for the bakery industry. There is still a little summer left to enjoy, but the machinery of autumn is already turning: Christmas production is gathering pace, the


trade-show calendar is filling up and manufacturers are looking closely at what they will need from their lines, ingredients and packaging over the months ahead.


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