American Society of Baking Announces New Leadership and Advances in Z50 Standards

Leadership transition coincides with a major Z50.1 safety update and the start of work to revise the Z50.2 sanitation standard.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN, UNITED STATES, September 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The American Society of Baking (ASB) has announced leadership transitions within the ANSI Z50 Safety and Sanitation Committee as the group continues its work to advance safety and sanitation standards for bakery equipment.

Lisa Arato, Area Sales Manager at Spiromatic, assumes the role of committee chair, succeeding Charles D. “Toby” Steward, who served as chair for 25 years. Lisa has 35 years of experience in the industry and as a degreed engineer has worked in project management, applications engineering and outside sales. Her background gives perspective from multiple viewpoints from selling system solutions to receiving end user feedback. Todd Schneyer, Sr. Director of Engineering at Aspire Bakeries, was appointed vice chair. Todd has worked in the baking business for 39 years in maintenance and engineering roles, and succeeds Rowdy Brixey, who served in committee leadership since 2018.

The transition marks a new chapter for a committee with a long history of bringing together a balanced roster of bakery equipment manufacturers, equipment users, and general interest industry stakeholders to develop and maintain the standards for the baking industry through an ANSI-accredited consensus process.

Steward first joined the committee’s leadership as vice chair in 1998 and became chair in 2000, serving in that role until 2025. During his tenure, he helped guide the committee and its standards work through more than two decades of change in bakery equipment, technology and manufacturing. Brixey joined the committee’s leadership in 2018 and contributed to the continued stewardship and advancement of the Z50 standards.

“Toby and Rowdy have given an extraordinary amount of time, knowledge and leadership to the Z50 Committee and to the baking industry,” said Arato. “Their work provided a strong foundation for the standards we have today.”

For the past three years, the Z50 Committee has worked on a major revision of the ANSI/ASB Z50.1-2026 Safety Requirements for Bakery Equipment standard, which was completed and received ANSI approval in February 2026. The standard applies to the design, construction, installation, safe operation, and maintenance of bakery machinery and equipment.

The 2026 revision includes substantive updates intended to reflect technical advancements in bakery equipment and machine operation. Among the areas addressed are expanded requirements for machine guarding, safety interlocks, and hazardous energy control, as well as a dedicated section covering industrial robots, robotic work cells, and collaborative robots.

The revised standard also reinforces shared responsibility between equipment suppliers and buyers for ensuring that delivered equipment conforms to applicable safety requirements.

“The release of the revised Z50.1 standard is an important milestone for the committee,” said Sarah Day, M.Ed., Director of Education and Standards at the American Society of Baking. “Bakery equipment and technology continue to evolve, and the standard needs to evolve with them. This revision reflects the organization’s renewed commitment to providing the industry with relevant, practical safety guidance that supports both equipment manufacturers and the bakeries using that equipment.”

With the Z50.1 revision complete, attention is now turning to the ANSI/ASB Z50.2 Sanitation Requirements for Bakery Equipment standard.

The ANSI/ASB Z50.2 standard establishes sanitary design criteria for bakery equipment, including requirements related to equipment design, construction, cleanability and access. The standard is intended to support manufacturers in the design and construction of equipment, as well as bakers in the selection, purchase, installation, and modification of machinery.

Nominations for the Z50.2 revision subcommittee have now closed, and the committee is forming the group that will begin the detailed review and revision of the current standard which will comprise of individuals from major equipment manufacturers, bakeries, and regulatory organizations.

The work will bring together industry professionals with experience across bakery operations, equipment manufacturing, engineering, food safety, sanitation, and other relevant technical areas. The goal is to ensure that the next edition continues to reflect current hygienic design practices, technologies, and the practical needs of the baking industry.

“The strength of these standards comes from the people who use, design and work with bakery equipment every day,” said Arato. “Industry participation is essential to making sure the standards remain practical, credible and relevant. As the Z50.2 revision work begins, we have an opportunity to build on the committee’s history while making sure the sanitation standard continues to meet the needs of today’s bakeries and equipment manufacturers.”

The Z50 Safety and Sanitation Committee operates under procedures intended to meet ANSI requirements for due process and consensus. The committee is responsible for proposing, voting on and maintaining standards within its scope, while ASB serves as secretariat and supports committee administration, records, ballots and submissions for ANSI review and approval.

ANSI approval of an American National Standard requires verification that due process, consensus, and other approval criteria have been met.

Both ANSI/ASB Z50 standards are available through the American Society of Baking.

Purchase ANSI/ASB Z50.1 and Z50.2:
https://asbe.site-ym.com/store/ListProducts.aspx?catid=952033

Sarah Day
American Society of Baking
2024006277 ext.
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