Better-for-You Bakery Products: 7 Top Trends

While it’s true that pandemic stressors may have had many of us finding comfort in a big hunk of bread or a handful of cookies, it’s also true that more and more consumers are looking to foods to help boost their health. In fact, one in five is actively seeking health benefits from foods, according to the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) 2021 Food & Health Survey.

Weight loss/weight management, energy/less fatigue, digestive health, and heart/cardiovascular health are the top four benefits consumers seek, IFIC found. Consumers also have definite ideas about what they’re looking for: 27% define “healthy food” as products that contain certain components such as nutrients, whole grains, high protein, and/or high fiber, while 25% say “healthy food” does not contain or has low levels of components such as sugar, fat, and carbohydrates.

Amr Shaheed, technical sales and application development manager at Innophos, says that “ongoing research in baked nutrition demonstrates that phosphates provide functional improvements in appearance, texture, and volume of high-protein baked goods.”

Read the full article on the IFT website at: https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2021/august/columns/ingredients-7-top-bakery-product-trends