Consumer interest in a greater variety of breads should benefit the market for par-baked products in the foreseeable future. Bread remains an important dietary staple for much of the world’s population.
In recent years, the market has had to weather several storms, examples of which have included the disruption to consumer eating habits resulting from the pandemic, as well as falling consumption in some parts of the world due to the perception that bread is high in calories and salt.
Another important trend has been the tendency of consumers (especially in western markets) to opt for higher-priced specialty breads on a less frequent basis instead of lower-cost varieties, which has had a negative impact upon volume sales.
More recently, industry must contend with the current political and economic turmoil. Bakers in many parts of the world anticipate rising inflation to push up the cost of key ingredients such as flour.
This may result in higher prices for consumers as bakers seek to protect their margins. On a more positive note, the likelihood exists that consumers throughout the world may turn to low-cost bakery goods such as bread for their carbohydrate intake.
Some of the world’s leading consumers of bread in per capita terms include countries in the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans region of Europe. Per capita consumption of bread is highest in Turkey, ahead of Serbia and Bulgaria. In Western Europe, Germany represents the leading bread consumer in per capita terms.
Health and nutritional considerations remain a leading driver within the global bread market. This has been reflected in the emergence of more products incorporating ingredients such as wholegrains, seeds, fiber and ancient grains (e.g. quinoa, spelt, flax and buckwheat), as well as bread carrying various health claims (e.g. clean-label, free-from, etc).
To address changing consumer demands in this direction, many bread manufacturers have been making reformulation efforts, with the result that many different health claims now proliferate within the market. Not all reformulation efforts have been totally successful, however.
Towards the end of 2022, a UK study carried out at Oxford University found that industry efforts to reduce the average salt content in a variety of foodstuffs (one of which was bread) between 2015 and 2020 had largely stalled. During this time, the average salt content in bread has undergone relatively little change, with the result that it has one of the highest salt contents within the UK food industry.
The current target is for a consumer intake of no more than 6g per day. The consumer desire for more interesting and novel varieties has contributed towards the recent growth in the market for specialty bread in parts of the world such as Europe and North America. Although the appeal of products featuring ancient grains appears undiminished, the market has also witnessed growing demand for bread with other inclusions – examples include olives, cheese, dried fruits and vegetables such as jalapeno peppers.
Aside from their various health benefits, many specialty breads are also attractive to more discerning consumers owing to their rustic and/or hand-crafted taste and appearance.
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