Fedima's General Assembly in Bordeaux elected a new Board and appointed Enric Valls of Puratos as President, along with Vice-Presidents and Treasurer, for a three-year mandate.

Scanning electron microscopes at the University of Leicester have captured baking ingredients magnified thousands of times — revealing the structural science behind why bakes succeed or fail.

Lesaffre has appointed Edouard Gestat as Marketing Director of Baking with Lesaffre, drawing on 24 years in food ingredients and 15 years within the Lesaffre group.

McGhee's Bakery has appointed Jessica Richmond, 28, as Group Head of HR and Gordon Moon, 27, as Head of Engineering, continuing the fourth-generation Scottish bakery's strategy of developing leadership from within. The £53.7 million turnover business, named Scotland's most chosen food brand in 2025, has promoted multiple employees who joined in their twenties to senior positions during a five-year period that saw revenues grow from £34 million.

Mark Salman, President of Middleby's Food Processing Group, will become CEO of the division when it spins off as an independent public company in Q2 2026, following a period in which revenues nearly doubled to $850 million.

At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy's baking traditions have stolen the spotlight. Viral chocolate lava cakes, traditional Austrian strudels and industrial Nutella dispensers have become unexpected stars, proving that Olympic excellence extends beyond the podium to the bakery.

A traditional French galette introduced by Michelin-trained pastry chef Joakim Prat at Roast CCx in Hyderabad has become a daily sell-out. The butter-laminated pastry, built on classical technique rather than promotional strategy, has found sustained demand among customers seeking technically focused European baking in India's evolving café landscape

As consumers seek everything from better-for-you options to indulgent comfort foods, the baked goods

sector is evolving fast. FoodBev spoke with leading industry experts to uncover the flavours, inclusions,

ingredients and innovations shaping the next wave of bakery products – and what’s set to rise in 2026.