Addressing consumer health concerns should drive future demand for frozen bakery and potato products, reports Jonathan Thomas.
Health and nutritional concerns continue to influence NPD within the markets for frozen bakery goods and frozen potato products. Within the former, the emphasis remains on adding ingredients to improve the nutritional profile of products, examples of which include protein, fibre, fruit, nuts and seeds.
Meanwhile, the incorporation of new flavours is a key additives trend in the potato products sector.
Bakery goods
Although most bakery goods are sold and consumed fresh, a sizeable global market for frozen varieties also exists. According to Grand View Research, worldwide sales of frozen bakery products were worth more than USD67bn in 2023. This figure is expected to increase by an annual average of more than 5% during the years leading up to 2030.
The market is largely made up of products such as bread, pastries and cakes, as well as other foods like pizza. These products are usually available in one of two formats, either thaw and serve or bake-off, the latter of which refers to part-baked foods which are then heated up in ovens.
Frozen bakery products are also more attractive from a cost perspective for customers such as in-store bakeries (ISBs), quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and coffee shops as they require less labour. These usually opt for dough which is part-baked and then frozen, which enables customers to offer a wide choice of freshly prepared bakery goods at a lower cost.
A report on viennoiserie products released by Delifrance UK in 2024 found that freshness was one of the key factors determining where pastries are purchased outside the home. However, appearance and taste remain the key impulse purchase triggers, mentioned by 42% and 41% of respondents respectively. For end-users, frozen versions of bakery goods are becoming increasingly popular as they allow them to enjoy freshly baked products without the need to bake from scratch and minimise preparation time.
According to the Delifrance research mentioned previously, 28% of pastry consumers purchase frozen products to bake-off in the home. This was up by 8% compared with 2019 and is believed to represent a legacy of the pandemic, when outlets such as cafes and coffee shops were either closed or visited far less frequently and consumers became more accustomed to eating pastries in the home.
Some of the leading out-of-home venues where people regularly buy pastries such as croissants and pain au chocolat include supermarket ISBs (47% of respondents), packaged products from supermarkets (42% of respondents), independent or chain bakeries (34% of respondents), cafes and coffee shops (30% of respondents) and convenience store/forecourt ISBs (28% of respondents).
The Delifrance research also offers several pointers towards the flavours and ingredients favoured in pastries. One finding was that flavour options can sometimes be lacking, given that around a quarter of consumers claimed that having new variations to try would encourage more regular purchasing. When buying from supermarket ISBs, savoury pastries represent one of the most popular options, with cheese twists one leading example.
Cheese has long been recognised as a suitable topping or filling for a range of bakery goods to create different flavours or textures, sometimes combined with meats such as bacon or ham. Some of the most widely used cheese varieties within this sector include traditional favourites such as Cheddar, Emmental and Gouda. Pastries incorporating fruit as a filling or topping account for a sizeable percentage of products purchased from outlets such as cafes, coffee shops and supermarkets ISBs.
Berry fruits (e.g. raspberries, blueberries and strawberries) are widely used in the frozen bakery products sector, as well as other varieties such as apples, cherries and apricots. The use of fruit can often improve the nutritional profile of bakery goods, given their strong links with health and high vitamin and mineral content.
When used as an ingredient, fruit can also help bakers to develop seasonal flavours and variations, examples of which include apples and/or blackberries during the harvest period in the autumn, as well as tropical fruits in the summer. Sweet nutty pastries are also a popular choice, according to Delifrance.
To read the entire article, please access your complimentary e-copy of Frozen Food Europe January-February, 2025 issue here.