ABA talks workforce in live podcast

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ABA talks workforce in live podcast

25 Mar 2026

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

CHICAGO — In a live version of its podcast, Bake to the Future, the American Bakers Association (ABA) joined attendees at the American Society of Baking (ASB)’s BakingTECH 2026 conference, held Feb. 17-19 in Chicago, for a candid chat between Anne Fairfield-Sonn, ABA’s director of marketing and communications; ABA president and CEO Eric Dell; and Val Wayland, senior director of corporate regulatory compliance with Flowers Foods and co-chair of ABA’s FTRAC Committee.

While the group discussed hot topics ranging from the latest tariff activity to recent developments in nutrition policy, one big topic revolved around ongoing workforce challenges.

“Workforce challenges are affecting a lot of industries right now,” Fairfield-Sonn said. “In the baking industry, we are tackling hiring and retention on a regular basis.”

In fact, Dell identified it as the top issue facing ABA members these days.

“We have a lot of focus on nutrition, but when we ask members what the top issue is that’s keeping them up at night, they almost always say workforce,” he said. “Bakers are worried about securing and retaining talent, as are the OEMs in their operating facilities.”

In the past year, ABA has partnered with the CAPS network, a program for high school students that teaches skills that are essential to being successful in work environments beyond the classroom.

“This program is tremendous,” Dell said. “It helps students learn important skills to prepare for jobs in specific industries. There are CAPS programs across the country, and we’re working with them to teach students what it could mean to have a career in the baking industry.”

“People are looking for purpose, and that’s especially true of the next generation.” — Eric Dell | president and CEO | American Bakers Association

Working with CAPS, ABA has identified a way to tap into workforce potential before individuals get to college, which has traditionally been the primary pool for recruitment.

ABA has also partnered with ASB to further develop continuing education resources for the current workforce, whether people are new to baking or have been in the industry for years.

“We believe ASB is the place people in the industry should go to get educated,” Dell said. “We’ve partnered with them on several initiatives and look forward to creating more resources together.

Identifying solutions in the current workforce as well as increasing involvement at the high school level creates an opportunity for long-term solutions to labor challenges.

“People are looking for purpose, and that’s especially true of the next generation,” Dell said. “The baking industry provides them with the unique opportunity for purpose-driven careers.”

Wayland, a baking industry veteran, also noted a visible talent gap as a result of generational turnover.

“There are a lot of key subject matter experts in the industry who are beginning to retire,” she said. “We need to be innovative and strategic about how we backfill some of those positions. The key is to be intentional about how we are recruiting into this industry.”

The main message the group conveyed was, “Don’t panic.” Despite the constant and rapid change happening in the industry today, ABA is focused on new ways to pass on generations of knowledge to ensure baked goods can keep feeding the world.

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