With Americans eating more of their meals on the go, it’s no surprise that breakfast is increasingly consumed behind the steering wheel, on the train or at the office.
With current food trends focusing on health-and-wellness, it may be tempting to dismiss the cookie category as out of touch or on its way out. And while most of the top companies operating in the cookie category have seen relatively flat sales activity—or, at best, modest gains—traditional cookies still account for a sizeable portion of this $8 billon category.
The competitive buns and rolls segment overall shows only minimal overall growth, but select ingredients and product dynamics, like better-for-you, can drive new levels of interest.
Buns and rolls continue to emerge from ovens nationwide at a steady pace. While overall category growth has been minimal, several companies saw comparatively significant gains. And while traditional products maintain perennial allure, new interest comes from ingredients like whole grains and sweeteners.
The bars category continues show good to strong levels of growth, with sufficiently diversified product offerings to appeal to nearly every type of shopper. Few product categories so seamlessly fit into today’s on-the-go lifestyle suited to on-demand snacking.
A host of functional ingredients―from fats and oils to fibers and starches―are available to help bakers and snack producers resolve formulation challenges.
During research and development, bakers and snack producers face formulation hurdles on a daily basis. Luckily, functional ingredients like fats, oils, dough conditioners and egg replacers can help them solve a host of common challenges.