In recent years there has been a mandate by the South African government, for the industrial sector to swiftly reduce its energy consumption. This paper presents a methodology for analysing energy utilization data in the bakery industry, to improve energy efficiency and benchmarking in the food and beverage sector in South Africa. Using carbon data, the energy efficiency of a bakery is determined and the least efficient sections are categorized. A systems approach allows multiple aspects to be benchmarked against each other. This paper is aimed at suggesting possible steps towards further energy efficiency research within the bakery sector.