Baking & Snack - November 2023 - 8

editorial
Escape from everyday life
A
An interesting shift I've seen over my 12 years covering
this industry has been the evolution of consumers' ideas
around what is healthy and how bakery fits into that definition.
When I joined Sosland Publishing in 2011, glutenfree
was just getting off the ground, and we were all learning
about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Low carb
has had several names, the latest being keto, and flour and
sugar have been villainized each time.
While gluten-free will always be there for consumers
who need it and low carb will always have its disciples,
we've seen a move among consumers in the past few
years to look at their health holistically. Physical health
and nutrition remain top-of-mind, but consumers are
starting to include mental and emotional health into
their overall wellness plans. At Corbion's 2023
Media Day, Anne-Marie Roerink, principal at
210 Analytics, presented data on the top trends
shaping grocery shopping. According to 210
Analytics' consumer survey for August 2023,
95% of consumers believe that physical health
and emotional well-being are interwoven.
" It's not always about nutrition; sometimes
it's just about doing something nice for yourself
emotionally, " she said. " That's something where
bakery has long figured that out. Bakery can create a
moment of bliss and escape from everyday life. "
That's great news for the bakery category because
as people continue to find ways to save on their grocery
bills, they aren't cutting out their indulgences ...
all in the name of happiness. Circana data from August
2023 presented at the American Bakers Association's
NextGenBaker Leadership Forum, co-located with Nexus
2023, showed that while 46% of shoppers are scaling back
on nonessentials, they don't consider indulgent bakery
as nonessential. Melissa Altobelli, senior vice president
of client insights, dairy and bakery vertical, Circana, reported
that donut and cookie sales are particularly strong
this year.
" The good news for perimeter baked goods is that consumers
are still indulging, " she said. " They may be cutting
back on nonessentials, but they still like to give themselves
a sweet treat. "
That's not to say that consumers aren't shifting the ways
they indulge or shop for indulgences. There's certainly
movement in the category that you can read all about in
Associate Editor Lucas Cuni-Mertz's feature " Elevating
the Classics " in this issue.
But one thing is clear: Consumers are looking for
indulgence as a way to unwind, and they are largely
turning to bakery even as they cut back or buy value
brands in other categories. This is great news in more
ways than one: a more holistic and balanced approach
to health for all of us and more volume and sales for
indulgent baked goods.
- Charlotte Atchley, editor
catchley@sosland.com
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Baking & Snack - November 2023

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