Bakery Products Return to the Spotlight There has been an ongoing focus on and increasing interest in whole grains, multigrains, and single grains. As the spotlight has expanded, grains as a category are embracing global and regional products. Consumers are becoming more experimental and educated about grains, and the fear instilled by various fad diet trends is fading. Single, global, and ancient grains, and breads made from them, are drawing increasing media attention and consumer interest due to their strong backing from clinical health researchers and their ties to lower obesity rates, better heart health and cognitive function, and improved blood glucose levels. Product trends include familiar and historical favorites, as well as adventures in global and regional offerings. In the bakery segment, the road began with “comfort fusion,” which takes two common or familiar items and puts them together to create a new product. Desserts also are returning to the spotlight and are riding a line between historical and regional to global classics and more experimental foods. Preparations also are becoming more diverse and complex. |