The Turkish Flour Industrialists’ Federation (TUSAF) is preparing to bring the industry together for a comprehensive discussion on bread, from production to consumption, and its future. Under the motto “We Have a Promise to Bread,” the TUSAF Bread Summit will take place at InterContinental Grand Ankara on November 14, 2026, bringing together industry representatives, experts and stakeholders. Supported by Ankara Un, participation in the event will be free of charge.
Novonesis opened the doors of its Innovation and Technology Center in Istanbul to the media. The press meeting demonstrated that biosolutions are no longer discussed solely in the context of sustainability; they are increasingly becoming part of the industry’s agenda for raw material efficiency, product standardization, cost management and food loss reduction. Following the event, which BBM Magazine attended, we also toured the laboratories where bakery and pasta applications are developed and tested. Work on managing variations in wheat quality, extending freshness in bread and improving the quality of pasta made from bread wheat points to the growing role biotechnology could play across grain-based industries.
Global durum wheat production is expected to exceed consumption for a third consecutive season, but supplies of high-protein grain are tightening after quality problems in several producing regions. Speaking at Grain Academy in Sofia, analyst Rossella Polito warned that weak farm returns could also discourage planting for the next crop.
International Pasta Organisation (IPO) President Carl Zuanelli and Turkish Pasta Manufacturers Association (TMSD) President Aykut Göymen have delivered strong messages on the future of the industry as the world marks World Pasta Day on October 25. With global pasta production reaching 17.3 million tonnes, Türkiye stands among the industry’s leading players, producing more than 2.2 million tonnes and exporting to over 165 countries. Industry leaders stress that the future of pasta will be shaped not only by production and consumption volumes, but also by accessibility, sustainability, food security, evolving consumer habits and a culture of sharing.
Until recently, artificial intelligence was a technology most companies associated with the future. Today, it is moving to the centre of strategic decision-making, production processes, R&D activities and management practices. Faced with this shift, the question companies should be asking is no longer “Will we use AI?” but “How effectively, efficiently and strategically will we use it?”
Türkiye has substantial capabilities in producing agricultural and food products and bringing them to global markets. Yet lasting success in those markets is no longer measured by export volumes alone. Sustainable raw material sourcing, cost management, a skilled workforce, the green transition and brand building have become central to the sector’s competitiveness. Türkiye needs to build its export strategy around reliable, sustainable, value-added production rather than low-priced products.
When it comes to sustainability, there is rarely a simple either/or choice: from energy generation to packaging materials, most solutions call for thoughtful consideration. Their advantages, after all, vary depending on the context. The same applies to paper and plastic. Both can be suitable as recyclable packaging materials, yet each one influences processing and packaging styles in its own way.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlkay Gök, Head of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at Istanbul Okan University, says that the future of pasta will be shaped not only by production technologies, but also by changing consumer expectations, functional ingredients, sustainability and effective communication strategies. According to Gök, communicating scientific facts accurately to consumers could position pasta as one of the most powerful functional foods of the future.
In the UK, where sandwiches and toast are woven into everyday life and afternoon tea keeps the country’s baking heritage alive, a robust production chain stretches from wheat to bread. Alongside a flour milling industry producing around 3.8 million tonnes of flour annually across the United Kingdom, the pasta market presents a different picture, with imports playing a dominant role. Variability in raw material quality, the need for production consistency and diverse consumption habits are shaping the competitive agenda in this mature market.
The “Türkiye’s Top 1000 Exporters 2025” survey released by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) provides a clear picture of where production and exports are concentrated within Türkiye’s grain processing industry. The findings show that Türkiye, which continues to lead the world in flour exports while maintaining its position as one of the world’s leading pasta exporters, now relies heavily on the Southeastern Anatolia cluster—particularly Gaziantep—as the driving force behind the sector’s export performance. An examination of the flour, pasta and biscuit companies included in the list reveals that this export success is far from accidental; rather, it is the outcome of a strong manufacturing ecosystem, strategic geography and decades of industrial expertise.
Strategy& has released its latest report, The Future of Food 2.0. Prepared by Strategy&, PwC’s strategy consulting arm, the study explores the transformation the global food ecosystem is expected to undergo over the next decade and highlights emerging growth opportunities.
Despite its limited agricultural land and a nearly 90% dependency on wheat imports, Japan continues to serve as a global benchmark through its high-tech production model in the flour, bakery, and noodle sectors. In this transition from traditional rice-based diets to modern wheat-based consumption, Japan’s industrial success—ranging from the precise processing techniques of “shokupan” bread to the “instant noodle” innovations that dominate global markets—provides a concrete example of prioritizing value over volume.
Dr. Hakan Çınar, Chairman of DIŞYÖNDER, stresses that export growth must translate into greater business competitiveness and sustainable earnings. Highlighting high production costs, expensive financing and intensifying price competition, Çınar calls for easier access to support schemes and measures to realise Türkiye’s potential as a centre for managing trade.
The Turkish machinery sector increased its exports to Syria by 174.6% in 2025, overtaking China to become the market leader as the country’s reconstruction process gains momentum. Sevda Kayhan Yılmaz, President of the Machinery Exporters’ Association (MAİB), stresses that competitive measures in financing, customs and banking need to be implemented swiftly to safeguard this advantage.
Fıstıkçı Ağaoğlu is preparing to enter a new era in production with an investment of TRY 40 million. The company is opening a new chapter in its growth journey with a seven-storey baklava production facility established in Esenyurt, Istanbul. Built with an investment of approximately TRY 40 million and already operational, the facility is expected to reach full production capacity shortly. Fıstıkçı Ağaoğlu owner Abdurrahman Özcan said the company would initially meet the product requirements of its own branches, before supplying national and local supermarket chains and catering companies across Türkiye.
Production cost losses do not always stem from raw materials, energy or labor. Delayed detection of quality deviations, discrepancies between inventory records and actual shop-floor conditions, and engineering changes that fail to reach relevant processes on time can also drive up hidden costs. Tolga Küçük, IoT Project Manager at IAS, explains how ERP and IoT integration can provide real-time traceability in manufacturing and help prevent scrap, rework, capacity losses and delivery delays.
Competition on the snack shelf is being redefined. More protein, less sugar and portable packaging now belong to the same product development agenda. Meeting consumer expectations, however, requires more than promises on the front of a pack. For manufacturers of bakery products, biscuits and cereal-based snacks, the real challenge is to combine nutritional value with taste, innovation with production efficiency, and affordable prices with sustainable profitability.
In industrial bread production, competitiveness is no longer measured solely by the number of loaves produced per hour. The speed of response to changing demand, the ability to manufacture different recipes on the same line with consistent quality, and the visibility of energy and labour losses now determine the true value of capacity. High costs and labour shortages in Europe, and price pressure and product diversification in Türkiye, are leading producers to the same question: Should they install a new line, or make the existing one smarter and more flexible?
The bakery industry is undergoing a new transformation shaped simultaneously by rising costs, sustainability targets and growing demand for clean-label products. At the heart of this change are yeast, enzyme and fat systems, which determine product volume, texture, aroma, freshness and shelf life. Innovations ranging from the digital control of fermentation and application-specific yeast strains to enzyme solutions that replace emulsifiers and sustainable fat formulations are redefining production processes across the industry, from bread and biscuits to croissants and frozen dough.
The protein transformation represents far more than a passing product trend in the bakery and pasta industries; it marks a fundamental global shift that is reshaping the way food is produced. From alternative flours and functional ingredients to AI-assisted formulation technologies and clean-label solutions, this transformation is redefining the future of bakery and pasta products while creating new opportunities for Türkiye to generate higher added value in production and exports.
Despite being one of Europe’s smaller countries in terms of land area, the Netherlands punches well above its weight in global agricultural and food trade. The logistical advantage provided by the Port of Rotterdam, its advanced food industry and strategic location at the heart of the European market have transformed the country into an important production, processing and distribution hub across the grain, flour, bread and pasta value chains. While Dutch wheat production can fluctuate significantly depending on weather conditions, the country’s milling and bakery industries stand out for their ability to transform imported raw materials into higher-value products.
Food safety and flour quality used to be discussed mainly in the language of audits, laboratory results and regulatory compliance. Those elements still matter, but they no longer describe the full commercial importance of the subject. For a modern mill, the ability to deliver safe, traceable and consistently performing flour affects customer retention, access to export markets, raw material choices and the cost of daily operations.
Changing consumer expectations in the bakery industry are driving the milling sector toward a new production paradigm. In today’s market, where every product category—from bread and pizza to croissants and industrial bakery products—requires different functional flour characteristics, competitiveness is no longer determined by production capacity alone. Instead, it is defined by technology, data management, artificial intelligence, skilled human resources and personalized quality management. Speaking at the IDMA Global Grain & Milling Forum, Erhan Özmen, Chairman of the Board of Özmen Flour, said that the future of milling will depend on how quickly the industry adapts to the transformation taking place across the bakery sector.
Welcoming more than 8,000 professional visitors from over 120 countries, IDMA Istanbul 2026 brought together the global grain, feed and food processing industries in Istanbul. Held at the Istanbul Expo Center, the exhibition hosted more than 200 brands and created a platform for thousands of B2B meetings, paving the way for nearly $1 billion in new trade and investment opportunities. Running alongside the exhibition, the IDMA Global Grain & Milling Forum added a strong strategic dimension to the event with discussions on food security, global grain trade, digitalization, artificial intelligence, storage, logistics and sustainability.
Bringing together agriculture, food, art, economics and science around the same table for three days, the BBM Kitchen Talks left their mark on IDMA Istanbul 2026 under the theme “The Pleasure Collection of Civilization.” Bringing together renowned speakers, industry leaders, academics and professionals on a common platform, the event combined knowledge sharing, gastronomic experiences and industry interaction, becoming one of the most popular attractions of the exhibition. Alongside the talks, freshly prepared pizzas, simits and other bakery products transformed BBM Kitchen from a simple event space into one of IDMA’s social and intellectual hubs.
Agriculture, food, art, economics and science come together at the same table. Sponsored by Özmen Un, BBM Kitchen Talks is preparing to reinterpret humanity’s journey from production to consumption through the perspectives of different disciplines under this year’s theme, “The Civilization Collection of Pleasure.”
The global grain and bakery industry will once again come together at IDMA Istanbul 2026. The latest technologies shaping the grain, feed, pulses and bakery industries will meet in Istanbul, where every key theme of transformation from automation and sustainable production to food safety and digitalization will take center stage.
In BBM Mutfak Talks, we continue to discuss the future of agriculture and food with guests who contribute to the agricultural and food ecosystem.
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