The food & beverage industry has been witnessing dynamic changes over the past decade, in terms of a surge in demand for organic, clean label, and grab-n-go foods; growth of app-based food ordering services; and increased use of artificial intelligence. The consumers of today lead a very busy lifestyle, but do not want to compromise on their food, in terms of taste and quality; hence, there is a growing demand for convenience foods, which require less time and effort to prepare and serve. With this trend, ready-to-bake and pre-baked food products are moving to become a ubiquitous and convenient mealtime solution.
Ready-to-bake products are partially baked items that are produced at the industrial level and finally re-baked at outlet/foodservice market where they are sold to end users. Pre-baked foods are those products which have been fully cooked and require little effort to be prepared and served. These ready-to-bake and pre-baked food products are available either in the frozen form or at room temperature. The most common examples of these products include bread, cakes/pancakes/mixes, and pizza crusts; these products are either frozen or kept at normal temperatures and are supplied to be used in manufacturing, either in dry or solid form. They also serve as end products to be bought off-the-shelf by consumers. With the availability of frozen bakery products, the amount of time and effort dedicated to preparing food from scratch has reduced considerably. The frozen bakery products market is projected to reach USD 23.48 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 7.9%.
Major Market Drivers
The purchasing behavior of consumers in the bakery segment is primarily driven by the freshness, taste/flavor, price, and the health benefits the products offer. Rightly so, the ready-to-bake and pre-baked products market is characterized by innovations and a gradual shift toward high-quality and premium products such as French-styled baguettes and gourmet rolls. Due to changing consumer preferences, there is a constant need for innovations to keep the consumers delighted. This is why one would notice that the confectionery segment has the highest number of product launches after soft drinks and dairy
You can read the entire article in the Nov-Dec issue of Frozen Food Europe print magazine.
