The evolution of the bakery trade.

Abstract

The bakery trade has undergone various changes over the years, ranging from diversity of bakery goods, increased machinery and automation, and the use of additives to utilise various types of wheat and other cereals. The bakery trade in Europe has evolved quickly with the introduction of importation levies and boundaries, which limited the use of high quality wheat found in the US and Canada. This change in the bakery trade is being felt in the Maltese industry. The aim of this dissertation is to study the structure of the bakery trade and investigate the process by which the industry is adapting to the challenges offered by the standardisation process during accession to the European Union. In the following discussion we will be focusing on the bread making industry and how this industry has already diversified due to technological changes offered by developed countries. Large bakeries opted for high-speed processes without the production of the traditional Maltese bread. On the other hand, artisan-type bakeries produce a modified version of the Maltese bread in an attempt to increase throughput and at the same time maintaining the tradition. The evolution of the confectionery trade is somewhat staggered and depends on the innovations of recipes, rather than technological barriers. Inspections were performed to assess the hygiene standards of the artisan-type and large bakeries. Results show that significant improvement on all aspects of hygiene is required for most of the bakeries. A plant bakery has adopted a positive philosophy of hygiene and controls to enhance standards for eventual certification for Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Point.