Fresh bread, bagels and English muffins comprise the largest segment in bakery, valued at over $10 billion per IRI, Chicago. But sales overall remain relatively flat. Nevertheless, several strategic options exist for bakers to infuse new life into bread sales.
Organic has shown strong growth of late—and really is the original clean label. “Consumers want to see labels with ingredients that they are familiar with, and may even have in their own kitchens,” says Jerome Davis, technical solutions analyst, Innovative Bakery Resources, Tualatin, OR. He suggests many consumers would prefer organic over conventional—when the products are economically comparable.