The bases are loaded when it comes to sweet goods and snack cakes. Though sales are sluggish, consumers want sweet treats to be healthy but still like to indulge a bit.
Ahh, pastries, donuts, brownies, snack cakes, cupcakes, where do we stop? There’s nothing like having a sweet treat like these every so often. But consumers are cutting back, as sweet goods are losing market share, according to data from the Perishables GroupFreshFacts. Sales in the sweet goods category declined 0.4% for the 52 weeks ending Feb. 27, 2010. “Right now, a significant challenge [bakers face] is with the cost of commodities,” says Doon Wintz, president of Wholly Wholesome, Chester, N.J. “Retailers only accept so much of a price increase, no matter how justifiable it is. For manufacturers, this is a significant challenge. How do you wind up maintaining quality, having all the bells and whistles that consumers expect and yet provide value-driven retail products? That’s a huge challenge for everybody across all categories.”
Still, products have to taste good and bakers are combining great taste and development game plan, so that sweet goods can continue to capture consumer hearts and minds. Today, the buzzwords in sweet treats are comfort food, old-time favorites, value, cupcakes, portion control and weight management.