Author: rob

More than 75% of consumers won’t buy food without first checking the label, and for the overwhelming majority of them label cleanliness is truly next to godliness, according to the 2017 Trends in Food Processing Operations Market Research Report. Recently released by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, the report tabs clean labels as the third biggest consumer trend behind only convenience and nutritional value.

Within the baking and snack sector it is also third behind artisan baking and healthy choices but ahead of new flavors, gluten free, portion control servings and sustainable ingredients.

Sprouted flours could put bread back on the table

West Yorkshire-based Spiffing says its new range of sprouted flours uses “natural technology to put bread back on the table for healthy eaters”. The grain used in the flour is soaked for 24 hours and maintained at a temperature of 20 degrees for five days. The grain and sprout are then milled to create an end product that looks the same as flour, but is easily digestible, rapidly absorbed and kind to the stomach.
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   Snacking continues to gain popularity

According to a recent Euromonitor study entitled “How We Eat: The Changing Face of Global Mealtimes”, snacking continues to rise in importance as consumers move away from eating three fixed meals a day. Consumers are shifting to a more flexible pattern of snacking and grazing, with snacks now having to serve a nutritional purpose as well as just fill a gap between meals. The report notes that all day grazing, eating outside the home and on the move and eating alone are key trends.

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     The non-GMO revolution

Overall, better-for-you snacks continue to grow at a faster rate than the snack category as a whole. According to SPINS data supplied by BFY Brands, dollar sales for natural, organic and specialty chips, pretzels and snacks rose 6.3% compared with 1.5% for conventional snacks for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2016. “Granted, natural and organic make up only 11% of the overall snack category, but they’re contributing about 31% of the industry’s growth,” noted Gunther Brinkman, vice-¬president, contract manufacturing.

Looking to subcategories, SPINS showed sales of organic snacks jumped 18%, gluten-free up 10% and non-GMO increased at an 8.7% clip. “We’re seeing activity not only in nutritionally better-for-you snacks but also in what we call ‘ethical better for you’ products, such as non-GMO and organic, especially among millennials,” Mr. Brinkman said. “These consumers want to know not only what they are eating but also how it’s made and sourced.”