Miller Magazine Issue: 115 July 2019

61 COVER STORY MILLER / JULY 2019 fat and high nutritional value. The demand for different varieties of bread such as whole wheat and multigrain fuels the demand for bread improvers. CHANGING CONSUMER LANDSCAPE DRIVING INNOVATION AND DEMAND • Rising demand and subsequent focus on clean la- bel bread improvers: The growing concerns over food safety and quality among consumers, the global increase in food trade, and complexities in food products have led to the need for new and innovative food processing methods and ingre- dients. The trend in using organic and healthy food in- gredients is a result of the demand for clean label food products that are free of synthetic additives and harm- ful chemicals across the world, particularly in developed countries in North America and Europe. The demand for organic bakery products is rising rapidly in developed markets such as the U.S., Germany, France, and the U.K. Thus, the changing lifestyles and the booming food & beverage industry have boosted the demand for func- tional and healthy bakery ingredients. The market for organic bakery products is growing globally due to the rising concerns of consumers about the quality of diet. In European countries, bread is con- sumed as a staple food; however, consumers have been looking for healthier alternatives to the bakery products produced using organic ingredients. For instance, one of the leading players in the bread improvers market, Lesaffre offers a range of organic bak- ing ingredients including bread improvers, sourdough, and yeast under the label of “Biorganic.” The company offers organic bread improvers for making white bread, multigrain, wholemeal bread, and other related prod- ucts. Additionally, enzymes have emerged as a clean label option in the bread improvers market. Companies such as Puratos, AB Mauri, Corbion, Delavau have intro- duced clean label dough improvers that includes enzyme building blocks namely S500, Arctic, Pristine, Encore, re- spectively in response to the rising demand for clean in- gredients. Blagden Specialty Chemicals Ltd also launched a new gluten-free bread improver product “Glutender Plus” to extend its product portfolio. These new prod- uct are likely to drive the demand for bread improvers amongst the industrial bakeries. • Growing consumption of bakery products According to the National Eating Trends survey 2010, it was found that around 68% of consumers in North America consume bread more than six times the con- sumption of other bakery products in a period of two weeks. The recorded annual per capita consumption of bread in North American homes was around 75-80 eat- ing in 2010. The consumers in North America common- ly consume packaged or industrial bread and accounted for around 66% of retail sales in 2012. The consumption of packaged whole wheat bread has grown compared to packaged white bread; this trend is likely to contin- ue in the future. Similarly, in the U.K., around 99% of households consume bread or bread equivalent products, which account for around 12 million loaves daily. In the U.K., the sale of white bread accounts for around three- fourths of the total bread sold in the country. • Globalisation of fast food Increasing globalization and higher exposure to other cultures especially the Western lifestyles, have changed the consumer eating patterns; in terms of consumption of convenience food, snacks, and savouries, and eating meals in QSR. Increasing younger population as well as rising working population, add to the demand of fast food. These fast food centres cater high amount of bread in var- ious forms such as burgers and pizzas. Globalization in food service industry has led to the establishment of sev- eral American fast food brands in the emerging economies such as Asia, Latin America and Africa. Various popular international fast food and coffee chains such as KFC, Piz- za Hut, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, Domino’s Pizza and Burger King have expanded their presence in regions such as Asia, Latin America and Africa. • High degree of investments by manufacturers Various industry giants such as Lesaffre and Bakels Worldwide offer a wide range of bread improvers, glob- ally. Looking at the growing demand, manufacturers are increasingly inclined to make investments in the global market. Seen below are some of the recent expansions/in-