Food safety is not a new concern, but the peanut recall in February brought its importance to the forefront of consumers' minds. While the recall did not devastate the baking industry, it reminded all of the need to have proper food handling measures in place. And, food safety is not limited to the ingredients that come in, something bakers have little control over, but includes what happens to those ingredients once in the bakery.

“Traditionally, industry regulators depend on spot checks and random samples of products to ensure food is safe,” said Norm Rich, retired president and C.E.O. of Weis Markets, Sunbury, Pa., during the recent American Bakers Association convention. “Food manufacturers have to be more proactive rather than reactive by taking samples as required on a real-time basis throughout the manufacturing process, not just testing the finished product.”

Currently, no uniform standard for food safety is in place. Some are calling for a global standard based on the Safe Quality Food (SQF) system, which is managed by the Food Marketing Institute. SQF is a HACCP-based food safety and quality risk management system. Most bakeries already have a HACCP program, but SQF goes a step further to manage both safety and quality.

The other element of food safety growing in importance is cross-contamination in the manufacture of free-from products. Bakeries making allergen-free products, such as gluten-free or nut-free, have another set of problems aside from just ensuring ingredient safety. This area also lacks regulation, so bakers must rely on their own systems to ensure the ingredients coming in and the finished products going out meet the free-from requirements of their customers.

Food safety programs are not only important in large wholesale bakeries. Smaller facilities also must have some regulations in place. It only takes one incident of food-borne illness to devastate a bakery. Food safety can never be 100 percent guaranteed, however, safe practices can greatly improve the odds.

A major metropolitan staple, the food truck phenomenon is entering smaller markets and may have bakery applications.

Food trucks or carts serving hotdogs, kebabs and other on-the-go foods have long been a staple of large, metropolitan downtowns or industrial areas. But the food-on-the-go concept is expanding to smaller urban centers and includes a variety of food offerings, including bakery.

Dessert trucks can be an extension of an existing bricks and mortar bakery, such as Hey, Cupcake in Austin and Sprinkles in Los Angeles, or they can be a way for entrepreneurs to get a foothold in the industry without making a huge investment in a store, such as the CupcakeStop in New York City, where products are baked land-side and then sold only through the truck. The sagging economy seems to be spurring the growth of these trucks across the nation. With a relatively small investment, bakers can begin trolling for customers in a short amount of time.

The success is dependent on the inexpensive treats the trucks often offer. For example, the CupcakeStop sells mini cupcakes for $1 and full size cupcakes for $2.25. Not a bad price for New York City, where some cupcakes sell for upwards of $5. The products these trucks offer vary widely from cupcakes (a very popular product line) to a full offering of cookies, bars, brownies, croissants and even crème brulee.

The downside to mobile bakeries is they are hard to restock. The time spent driving back to the production facility, then back onto streets, can mean hours of lost sales. The owners have to have a good grasp on demand or be willing to pull up shop once the supply runs out. Finding customers also can be a hurdle. The trucks either drive planned routes, park in the same spot or appear unexpectedly. Most rely heavily on their websites or Twitter to get the word out about where they will be located at any particular time.

Beverages, such as coffee and tea, have long been associated with bakery products, but how about wine or even beer to go with a brownie or cheesecake? Several bakeries are obtaining liquor licenses to help attract customers throughout the day.

For some, a liquor license seems almost obvious, like for Costeaux French Bakery located in the heart of the California wine country. For others, such as Wagner's European Bakery Cafe, in Olympia, Wash., which is looking to expand into wine sales, it might not seem so obvious. (Though Washington does have a burgeoning wine industry.) Booze and bakery is not limited to the West Coast.

Finale Desserterie, with three locations in the Boston area, is a concept based almost entirely on dessert and wine pairings. For example, it pairs its strawberry shortcake (a buttery sugar cookie with fresh strawberries tossed in rhubarb sauce and served with Bavarian cream and fresh whipped cream) with a savignon blanc from Chile. The suggested wine pairing with apple a la mode (a warm and lightly spiced Macintosh apple and cranberry tart served with Tahitian vanilla gelato, lavender-soaked hazelnut financier and honey caramel sauce) is a Spanish sherry.

To see if the liquor option might work for your bakery, you can go the special event route and work with a local vintner or brewery. Online bakery, Love My Cake Boutique, Morristown, N.J., held a tasting event with a local New Jersey winery. Bakery owner Sonya Newton worked with the winery's sommelier to set up a cake and wine pairing event to teach potential customers about flavor combinations and to promote both businesses. A placard described the dessert and wine and why they complemented each other. For example, Newton's Coy Carrot Cake was paired with a sherry with hints of chocolate, coffee, figs and some spice and floral notes. “A lot of the winery's customers became mine, and vice versa,” Newton says.

Bakery products also can be easily paired with beer, as demonstrated by 99 Bottles', Federal Way, Wash., partnership with several local bakeries. The liquor store owners worked with Something Delicious Bakery, Kent, Wash., and Outrageous Shortbread Bakery, Kirkland, Wash., to set up several dessert and beer combinations. Banana and nut breads go with mild, malty English brown ales while brownies require a Russian or American Imperial stout.

Local liquor laws will determine how much and when bakeries can sell liquor, but it could be a way to draw more customers and add sales.