ARLINGTON, VA — Although there’s no crystal ball to predict exactly where the baking market may land post-COVID, early 2021 data — amid widespread vaccinations, reopenings and increased mobility — offered some indication of where innovation in bakery and baked snacks may be headed.
Some consumers are sticking to their pre-pandemic preferences, but there are trends that are likely to drive innovation moving forward. Wellness and conscious consumption are two of the top dogs in that trend game.
Julie Pryor, CEO, Emerge Learning & Networking Community, noted that consumers have been slowly waking up to these factors for years, but that the pandemic provided the push to make them explode.
“Over the past 20 years, consumers have been, and continue to be, really conscious of the foods they’re consuming,” Pryor said. “They’re looking with a lens toward how foods support their overall wellness and lifestyle — in whatever a healthy lifestyle looks like for them.”
Citing SPINS research, she noted there are four buckets where this trend of conscious consumption is coming to light and sparking big innovation. Those include products and ingredients that are good for health, animals, people and the planet.
It’s true that much of the initial surge in immunity-boosting foods in 2020 was a direct response to COVID-19. But research suggests that the immunity trend will evolve into a push for foods that support more holistic wellness, and nutrition will serve as the foundation for helping consumers feel good physically and mentally.
Per Mintel’s The Future of Nutrition, Health and Wellness 2021, 78% of adults in the US agree that eating healthy is important for their emotional wellbeing, and according to SPINS data, natural positioned products — those that are dedicated to clean ingredient profiles as well as holistic social and environmental ideals — saw a 15.9% increase in dollar growth in 2020, outpacing a 12.5% increase for conventionally positioned products.
“We’re seeing a significant amount of innovation driven by an interest in holistic health,” said Christine Cochran, executive director, Grain Foods Foundation (GFF).
78% of adults in the US agree that eating healthy is important for their emotional wellbeing - Mintel’s The Future of Nutrition, Health and Wellness 2021
“We’re seeing a significant amount of innovation driven by an interest in holistic health,” said Christine Cochran, executive director, Grain Foods Foundation (GFF).
The Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotting Panel noted in its 2021 that some of the hottest functional ingredients include mushroom powders, turmeric and CBD. It also said prebiotic-laced snacks that boost digestive health will remain in high demand. Diet-specific products still see strong growth, as well.
“In bakery and baked goods, we’d all seen gluten-free, and then grain-free, but now gluten- and grain-free seem to be really appealing to consumers as well as baked goods and snacks that align with a paleo or keto diet,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive VP and practice leader, client insights, IRI.
Regardless of functionality or nutritional prowess, however, taste remains king. “Whether it’s meant to support mental clarity or our immune systems, for most people, functional benefits without a delicious taste do not quite make the grade,” Pryor said. “We need to pair delicious product taste with functional bene fits in order to drive trial, to drive continued purchase and to ultimately become a part of continuous purchase habits.”