17 Mar 2020
What are the major trends in bread? With Taste Tomorrow, Puratos surveyed over 17,000 consumers in 40 countries. The study was first conducted in 2011, second in 2015 and now, four years later, the results of this third edition identified new key worldwide trends. Discover three important drivers of consumer decisions when buying bread: taste, health and freshness.
Taste has become the number one criterion for many consumers when buying bread. Where in 2015 consumers still said freshness was the most important reason, the new Taste Tomorrow survey of 2019 revealed that for many consumers, taste is now the most crucial factor. However, the definition of taste has evolved. Nowadays consumers still like traditional tastes (just like four years ago), but they increasingly like to be surprised as well. They look for unusual and exotic tastes from other parts of the world. And taste is more than just flavour, texture is a key component too. Consumers pay as much attention to a special, delicious, appealing texture as to flavour. It enhances the eating experience, also because different textures are visually interesting as well.
Key takeaways:
Never sacrifice on taste, as it is the number one buying criteria for consumers.
Texture has become a key component for consumers.
And they like traditional as well as unusual/exotic tastes.
The New York-based Supermoon Bakehouse sells the most creative pastries, like multi-coloured sweet and savoury croissants, and doughnuts filled with lavender and honey or strawberry, basil and rhubarb. In addition to all these exotic flavours and attractive products, Supermoon also understands the impact of different textures.
Food plays an important role in giving a feeling of energy and health. And as consumers more than ever want to live a healthier life, the importance of food is growing. The latest Taste Tomorrow survey shows that on a global level healthy food is extremely important, and consumer expectations around food and health are continuing to evolve. It’s simultaneously about removing undesirable ingredients and adding ingredients that contribute to better health, like fibres, proteins and wholegrains. However health should never be at the expense of taste.
Key takeaways:
This vegan bakery in Amsterdam offers vegan sweets, treats and banana bread to Dutch restaurants and caterers. The bakery focuses on vegan ingredients and has taken out the refined sugar. Many products are even produced ‘raw’, which means that they aren’t heated above 42°C, so all the enzymes, minerals and vitamins are preserved.
The freshness of a product has a big impact on consumers’ perception of quality. To determine product freshness, they use all their senses: smell, sight and touch. However the definition of freshness has also evolved since 2015. Consumers now also associate freshness with the expiration date, or shelf life: the time that a product can be stored without becoming unfit for consumption. This relates directly to how far away in time the product is from the moment it was made.
Key takeaways:
Freshness defines the quality perception of a product.
To radiate freshness, it’s important that you enable your customers to experience freshness with all their senses. This means: the smell of freshly baked products, a crunchy look, seeing where and when the product is made, and having a short shelf life.
Located in Barcelona, Praktik Bakery is the first hotel-bakery in the world. The bakery is at the heart of this boutique hotel enables guests to wake up to one of the best aromas in the world: the smell of freshly baked bread, straight from the oven. Besides savouring the delicious, fresh fragrance, guests can also see the baking process itself, as it takes place in full view. They can even learn how to bake bread themselves, by participating in a workshop.
Which trends are applicable to your business? Feel free to talk things over with your local Puratos representative!
Are you interested in discovering the Taste Tomorrow insights specific to your region or country? Request your presentation and a local representative will get in touch.