PET FOOD CROSSOVER


Q: What are the key technological differences between ovens designed for bakery products versus those used in pet food production? The fundamental elements of an oven design do not vary significantly between baking dry pet food and baking biscuits or cookies, as they both follow very similar baking processes, utilising forced convection inside a narrow oven. Pet food baking differs in the detail rather than the fundamentals, where


ovens may have to be adapted to the particular product. For example, a recent project that we worked on with a pet food manufacturer who produces gravy bone dog biscuits, required the addition of an in-line gravy-spraying station to coat the dog treats – this was added as a bespoke solution for this project.


Q: What role do hybrid or energy-flexible ovens play in helping bakery manufacturers meet their sustainability targets? Hybrid and energy-flexible ovens are central to how bakeries can reduce their Scope 1 emissions, because the oven is where the majority of a bakery’s gas is burned. Natural gas still accounts for roughly 60% of a bakery’s energy supply, and it is one of the most carbon-intensive sources available – around 468 grams of CO2-equivalent per kilowatt- hour; over 17 times that of concentrating solar power for electrical generation. Removing gas as an energy supply is therefore one of the single biggest sustainability levers that a bakery will have. However, there are still manifold obstacles to adopting a fully-electric


solution – grid connection timelines, the cost of implementing on-site renewables, and perhaps the biggest, the current price variances between gas and electricity, where commercial electricity prices in Europe are considerably higher than gas (four times higher in the UK). Spooner has therefore adopted a different approach – our dual-fuel


hybrid ovens can be fuelled by any combination of fuel-sources while maintaining consistent baking output and they come ‘electric-ready’, leaving space to implement a bespoke power module which will convert the oven to electric at a later date. So, regardless of where a bakery is on its decarbonisation journey, it will be able to seamlessly transition to hybrid or electric when the business is prepared, futureproofing operations.


Q: Are you seeing greater crossover between bakery production methods and pet food manufacturing processes? In terms of production, the creation of bakery products – say cookies or biscuits and dry pet food – are largely the same. A biscuit or a pet food line both rely on a narrow forced-convection oven, run by a control system that


regulates baking profiles, temperature-control and baking times. The crossover between these two product groups is extensive and continues to deepen alongside the ‘humanisation’ of pet food.


Q: Could you share any insights or learnings from recent projects involving pet food producers? Our technical team have designed, developed, and manufactured two state-of-the-art, dual-fuel hybrid ovens to support a globally recognised pet food manufacturer with its decarbonisation journey. The customer chose a dual fuel hybrid solution over a fully electric oven,


to facilitate a gradual transition from 100% gas to a combination of gas and electric once the local grid capacity increases, alongside the introduction of its own on-site solar generation, with the hope of eliminating gas from its operations entirely in the future. In the interim, the adoption of a hybrid approach will allow the company to benefit from significant energy savings across its product lines. For example, the adoption is estimated to save 10% in natural gas usage per hour on one production line. From delivering this project and from wider conversations with


manufacturers in the sector, the most valuable learning point has been the fact that fuel-flexible baking equipment is key. Many of the barriers to decarbonisation faced by manufacturers are


outside of their control. It’s not from a lack of willingness to change, instead, for most, it is down to the cost pressures and timelines attached to many decarbonisation strategies. So, the equipment choosen needs to be able to evolve with them – an equipment decision taken today may still need to be fit-for-purpose in 30 years’ time, when we will have hit that all integral net zero 2050 target.


JUNE/JULY 2026 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • 33


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