State of the Industry

RSS

When we consider the cookie market today, it's a far cry from the ones that your grandma used to serve: They come in all shapes and sizes, and some can even be considered a "better for you" snack now, too.

While a core aspect of the buns and rolls market is still to serve as unassuming, predictable carriers for everyday sandwiches and backyard barbecues, the category has room for growth, and differentiation is the name of the game.

How to infuse healthier ingredients like whole grains and protein while maintaining the taste and texture that breakfast consumers want is a driving force in the frozen breakfast products market, consisting of core morning toaster options like pancakes, waffles and French toast.

While fresh bread is the largest category in the bakery industry, it has remained relatively flat for the past several years. But several emerging trends have fostered growth, pointing the way toward future potential for the category.

As presented in this annual "State of the Industry: Bakery" analysis, the U.S. bakery industry is responsible for $51.6 billion in annual sales, covering retail products across 10 vital categories: bars, breads, frozen breakfast, buns and rolls, cookies, desserts, pizza, snack cakes, sweet goods and tortillas.

Snack and nutritional bars are not only growing in popularity, but they represent an innovative category that keeps up with trends and is rewarded for its creativity.

The current state of snacks and bakery in foodservice reflects the "have your cake and eat it, too" polarity of today's consumers. We dine out to treat ourselves, yet we still have a nagging sense of responsibility to improved health and wellness.

Snacking is a way of life in America. As Mintel notes in its May 2017 "Snacking Motivations and Attitudes-U.S." report, nearly everyone in America snacks every day. Of the 94 percent of people who snack during the day, half snack two to three times per day.

The tortilla chips market continues to evolve, catering to desires for bold and interestingly spiced products. Millennials, in particular, are craving adventurous and ethnic flavors. As a result, we're starting to see a wider range of new and interesting flavors hitting the market.