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The outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020 has affected many consumer trends, especially those in the food and drinks sector. This post looks at two studies which have been carried out recently that focus on commercial bakeries, in order to find out how the health crisis has impacted upon producers in this sector and how they have adapted to new trends set by consumers.
The first consumer study, “Taste Tomorrow”, was carried out by international food group Puratos mid-2020. They interviewed gourmet chefs in eight different locations (Paris, London, San Francisco, Shanghai, Sao Paolo, Cape Town Tokyo and Dubai) to find out what new global and local trends were arising within professional bakeries and cake making establishments. They also questioned 17,000 consumers from 40 different countries to find out about preferences, attitudes and perceptions towards bread, baked goods and chocolate.
The results of this study show that consumers request more and more information about the products they buy, based on three criteria: health, freshness and flavour. These are influencing factors that will continue to sway consumers when they decide whether to buy one product or the other.
“Taste Tomorrow” results
The study made it clear that food and beverages played a great part in keeping people healthy throughout the crisis, where consumers opted for healthy products with basic ingredients and natural tastes. Another interesting conclusion from this report was that Spaniards did not always choose to purchase the cheapest product despite having suffered a loss of income during lockdown.
Meanwhile, 73% of the people who took part in this survey stated that they trust homemade products and 59% choose to buy locally and are willing to pay more for the luxury of doing so.
Another aspect that has gained strength over the past year has been home delivery and online purchasing. After lockdown, 61% of the people taking part in the study believed that all restaurants should offer home delivery and 29% confirmed their intention to continue buying food online.
Another trend that has arisen in the past year is that of home baking, where bread and cakes are made at home. This trend appears to be here to stay because 62% of those questioned said that they would like to see more ingredients to do such home baking themselves.
Innograin study results
At the beginning of 2021, the Innograin research group into cereal production undertook a study to publish data about bread consumption habits which led to some surprising discoveries. For example, 62% of consumers prefer to buy bread from a bakery, 25% from a supermarket, 10% from a local grocery store and about 3% from other places. Consumers of the 36-50 age demographic of the population prefer buying from bakeries whereas younger consumers prefer hypermarkets or supermarkets.
85% of people who were interviewed said that they buy fresh bread, 8% said they buy sliced bread and 7% buy dried bread. Of those who purchase fresh bread, 56% choose breads with a higher percentage of hydration (crusty rustic bread, ciabatta etc). 30% choose breads with a medium percentage of hydration, whilst 11% choose products with low percentages of hydration, such as the Fabiola loaf or those made from durum wheat. Loaf sizes were also asked, with 75% of clients purchasing medium-sized loaves, whereas 18% choose larger loaves of bread and 9% choose smaller loaves.
Another important observation was that 38% of those interviewed never buy nutritional bread, such as wholegrain or seeded loaves. 47% of the interviewees believed that breads made in a traditional manner contained less additives and 23% believed that these breads are ecofriendly.
Bakery trends
The results of these studies are clear: health has an influencing factor on consumers when purchasing products from a bakery or cake shop, especially since the pandemic began. Brands are trying to meet this demand by making more healthy products that do not compromise on flavour, and to do so they have opted for using new grains, more fibre and lowering fat, sugar and gluten levels.
Another aspect that brands are paying a lot of attention to is reintroducing traditional products, using natural ingredients, sourdough, and labelling their products with ecofriendly and organic symbols. Furthermore, consumers are beginning to request more information about the source and quality of the ingredients used in making the products, as well as their nutritional value. Products that include all this information and are produced in an environmentally friendly, sustainable way, stand out and are valued by customers.
At Lazaya we offer our experience, bringing choice and quality in preserved fruits to all brands of commercial baked goods and cakes, where our products are used and adapted to new consumer trends. Find out more by contacting us today.
