State of the Industry

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The frozen food industry will forever owe a debt to Clarence Birdseye. While his freezing innovations date back to the late 1920s, it wasn’t until after World War II that sales of frozen foods really took off.

Cookies are ubiquitous. They appear in many areas of the store, from the classic cookies and snack aisle, to the bakery aisle, the in-store fresh bakery, as ready-to-bake items in the refrigerated area, and even cookie dough in the frozen food section.

The sweet goods category, which includes everything from brownies to doughnuts to Danishes, overall experienced growth from 2021 to 2022.

The buns and rolls segment of fresh bread accounts for over $6.0 billion in annual retail sales, per IRI, Chicago. This sandwich-heavy segment comprises hamburger and hot dog buns, but also other sandwich buns, dinner rolls, and traditional croissants. 

Consumers still have a sweet tooth for desserts. In fact, 53% of consumers said that they had dessert within the past day based on a recent survey from Datassentials. Even as we emerge from the pandemic, desserts are still very relevant as consumers look to indulge a sweet craving, with a treat that can offer familiarity, comfort, or nostalgia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have been staying home more often, and searching for familiar snacks. Cookies fill that void, and brands have taken note of what is trending.

The bakery snacks category overall experienced an increase in sales in 2021, the possible reason for that being that consumers are now returning to the office and want on-the-go snacks to keep them company at their desks. 

The tortilla category largely flatlined during the past year, with some variation by type or brand of shell, as the world began to reopen after the worst of the pandemic and fewer consumers worked at home. 

State of the Industry analysis of the fresh bread category, including sandwich and loaf bread products, bagels, and English muffins.