Following its acquisition of the former Sara Lee bakery in Paris, TX, James Skinner Baking Co. plans to roll out all-butter, European-style croissants this summer, noted Gary Kyle, vice-president of marketing for the Omaha-based company. Four 3-oz, six 2-oz or eight 1-oz croissants will come packaged in a tamper-evident clamshell as the company expands its presence in the in-store bakery and foodservice channels.

The croissants are just one of the new products that Skinner featured at the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association’s (IDDBA) show in Orlando, FL, in June. The company also showed off its new 17-oz Krumblecake in Cinnamon and Wild Blueberry varieties as well as a soft, moist 16-oz Kornbread for multiple meal occasions. The products come in microwaveable paperboard trays for convenient heating.

“We’re getting out of metal trays and into more sustainable, microwaveable eco-trays,” said Mr. Kyle, who noted the company also reintroduced 3.5-oz muffins under the Drury Lane label.

Breakfast products grew an estimated 14.4% from 2010 to 2012 and now account for $2.8 billion or around 22% of the $12.8 billion in-store bakery market, according to a March 2013 report by Chicago-based Mintel Group. As the US economy recovers and employment rates increase, Americans will be searching for high-quality convenient foods offered by in-store bakeries, Mintel noted.

Always Bagels, Bohemia, NY, offered a rebranded line of Old Fashioned Bagels made with Smart Balance buttery spread. Changing its brand to the Old Fashioned name indicates to core East Coast consumers that its bagels are made from scratch with a 12- to 14-hour ferment and boiled the traditional way, noted Mike Yarmaloff, vice-president of sales and marketing.

Original Bagel Co., West Caldwell, NJ, promoted its products as a healthier choice for schools. The reformulated 2-oz boiled bagels contain 51% whole grains from white whole wheat or whole wheat flour and half the sodium of a regular bagel.

“Original Bagel has always been a proponent of eating healthily,” said Garrett Levenbrook, vice-president of manufacturing. “We believe this government regulation is a step in the right direction for children’s diets at schools, where healthful options are notoriously scarce. While we are eager to comply, for bakery manufacturers, this is an ‘adapt or die’ situation.”