The Australian Society of Baking (A.S.B.) was founded in 1970 by Sydney Packham (OAM) and a group of bakers and allied traders, some of whom had attended meetings of the American Society of Bakery Engineers in the United States. They decided there was scope to set up an organisation along similar lines in Australia. The ASB was first constituted as the Australian Chapter Affiliate of the American Society, before simplifying its name in 1979 to the Australian Society of Baking. The primary purpose of the Australian Society of Baking is to provide a forum for learning more about the industry through meetings and seminars.