Baking Industry Trends: Consumers Demand Healthier Baked Goods

The high rate of obesity and an aging population in America have placed healthier diets front and center in the national consciousness. Today, consumers demand healthier options for the foods they eat, even for traditionally indulgent items such as baked goods.

According to Mintel's 2007 Cakes and Pies Report, approximately 63 percent of people who eat cakes and/or pies would like to see healthier versions of those same baked goods on the market. Specifically, respondents said they are most interested in baked goods with low sugar, whole grain and zero grams trans fat per serving.

To put this into perspective, consumers say they are willing to pay more for bakery items with healthier profiles. Consumers are savvier than ever about different fats, including trans and saturated fats, and increasingly demand trans fat free alternatives for the foods they enjoy.

For example, when asked if they would be willing to pay more for cakes that are not made with trans fats, 53 percent of the consumers replied "yes." And, according to the United Soybean Board’s 2007 Consumer Attitudes about Nutrition Report, approximately three-quarters of American consumers view trans fat as very unhealthy, a trend reflected in everyday purchasing habits.

Mintel’s In Store Bakeries Report, published July 2007, found that 34 percent of respondents purchased baked items that were specifically labeled with zero grams trans fat per serving, almost a 50 percent increase over the same results in 2006. Furthermore, the 2007 Consumer Attitudes about Nutrition Report found that 65 percent of Americans would be more likely to purchase food products (baking and otherwise) reformulated to eliminate trans fats, up 10 points from 2006.

Another upcoming trend is consumer demand for baked goods made with increased omega-3 fatty acids. These polyunsaturated fatty acids positively affect overall cardiovascular health, and may help reduce blood pressure and prevent heart disease.

In order to meet this demand, the soybean industry is currently developing enhanced soybean oil with increased omega-3 fatty acids, which will create an affordable, land-based, renewable source of omega-3, and provide an alternative to create great-tasting foods rich in this essential nutrient. Food companies interested in testing with an increased omega-3 soy oil should begin planning their oils future now, in order to receive the first samples as they emerge from the pipeline.

In addition to increased omega-3, the soybean industry is also developing enhanced traits such as increased oleic, low-saturate, and high-stearic soybean oils, all with different health and functionality benefits to the food industry. Low-linolenic soybean oil, the first enhanced oil to emerge from the trait pipeline, is now commercially available and offers comparable functionality to that of partially hydrogenated soybean oils, with zero grams trans fat per serving.

Mintel projects that the cakes and pies market will grow to $6.7 billion by 2012. Should suppliers develop and promote healthier bakery products with soybean oil-based solutions, while ensuring they continue to deliver on taste, sales may grow even higher than anticipated over the review period.