Changes in our daily bread

NEWS Changes in our daily bread

Bread has seen a resurgence of interest in recent times with home-based consumers taking the opportunity to hone their bread-making skills. The market is changing, providing fresh opportunity for operators, with sourdough experiencing particular interest and demand.

2021 AND BEYOND

Prove It: A Bread Focus, a new report from sector supplier, Délifrance, has revealed that while the popularity of white, brown and wholemeal loaves remains strong, other trends such as health, sustainability, indulgence and Covid-related hygiene concerns are now impacting the bread arena with implications for operators and retailers alike.

Taste, quality, freshness and convenience are top of the agenda when it comes to purchasing bread, the researchers found. However, the report also reveals that the perception of bread is evolving as consumers increasingly search for functional foods both in terms of health and indulgence.

To help retailers and operators benefit from these changes, the report provides some in-depth insight into what consumers want (such as inclusions and alternative flours), when they want it, and what will encourage them to buy. On the publishing of the report, Stéphanie Brillouet, marketing director for Délifrance, said: “The UK bread market is currently worth £7.5bn (Gira 2021 data). As some 41% of consumers eat bread every day, or almost every day, there are plenty of opportunities to reach staple bread fans and new consumption occasions, particularly when we take into account that we expect to see increased indulgence and health-based snacking in the category. Indeed, our research reveals that healthier options could encourage 21% of consumers to eat more bread.

“With the new hybrid working model set to continue, the report also includes invaluable advice and tips on how retailers and operators can maximise on this way of life, from highlighting ‘added value’ ingredients and sustainable packaging to making a limited menu more versatile through bread choices.” Other key findings included the observation that consumers eat the most bread at lunch (57%), followed by breakfast (29%) then dinner (24%). 13% of consumers will probably choose something different at the weekend when sourdough loaves, rye breads, Italian-style breads, breads with inclusions and baguettes are more likely to be eaten. 17% were found to be buying seeded loaves at least once a week. These consumers are more likely to be interested in ingredients than the average bread consumer and less concerned about price, indicating there is a link between health benefits and a willingness to spend, Délifrance found. 44% would like to see more breads with added ingredients such as nuts and seeds for health, cheese and olives for indulgence, they discovered.

Despite the pandemic, some 70% of consumers surveyed said that their consumption of bakery hasn’t changed, the report found. Perhaps this isn’t entirely surprising, felt Délifrance, given that core white, brown and wholemeal loaves remain the most popular options, and most bread-eating households eat the same breads. Not only that, but baking also became a popular pastime for lockeddown consumers, they remind us.

At the same time, however, 40% of people were found to have concerns about the hygiene of products sold at in-store bakeries, with 37% saying they are buying more pre-packaged bakery for hygiene reasons – families in particular.

The report recognised the changing face of foodservice, saying that as venues re-open, consumers will be excited to get back to full-service restaurants and hotels in order to have those premium experiences again. In turn, this means that bread selection can play an important role in elevating an experience, they propose, and it’s also worth noting that consumers have been buying more premium breads when they are entertaining guests, such as sourdough loaves, Italianstyle breads, breads with inclusions, and premium baguettes and rolls. Therefore, it’s logical to assume that when they become guests themselves, they will expect similar options, they suggest.

Consumers up and down the country tried their hand at baking during lockdown, a YouGov poll revealing that 33% of UK adults intended to bake sourdough. Although sourdough breads are increasing in popularity, research suggests that two-thirds of bread consumers never choose sourdough loaves, showing that there is still a lot of potential for this sector to grow and develop.

For those that do choose sourdough, their decision is driven by taste, ingredients and texture, the report found. Along with Italianstyle breads and breads with added ingredients, sourdough loaves are more likely than other types of bread to be chosen because they look appealing. While this is partly down to the display and abundance of product, it is also down to the loaves themselves, feel the company (they are more likely to be rustic in appearance, perhaps being handcrafted, with interesting natural bursts and contrasting dark crusts with flour dusting).

Elsewhere, we will see some midlevel venues focus on smaller menus, as they look to get back on their feet, Délifrance feel. These operators will focus on versatile breads that they can use from breakfast to dinner and we will also see a higher demand for ready-to-use breads such as thaw-andserve sandwich baguettes, they add.

The way we work has also changed, creating implications for foodservice. A survey from the British Council for Offices suggests most office workers don’t intend to spend five days a week in an office, with both employers and workers viewing home working as a long-term trend. Therefore, with less call for the canteen, we may see a return to the sandwich trolley, and while sandwich manufacturers have struggled with home workers, people are returning to their places of work more frequently, they observe, indicating that sandwich-makers will want to take note of the bread and filling preferences of today’s consumer.

The report’s findings have been drawn from interviews with UK adults who regularly eat bread, as well as research conducted in France, Germany and Italy. In addition, Délifrance partnered with leading trends consultants, Harris & Hayes and commissioned Nielsen to run a UK-wide retail study that includes insights from households. Data was also obtained from social listening tool Delve Insights that monitors thousands of online conversations to identify consumer trends (to read the report in full, visit https://www. delifrance.com/uk/proveit-a-breadfocus).

NEW SOURDOUGHS

International baking and patisserie business, Puratos UK, is launching British-made living sourdough, to meet the current and future tastes and needs of consumers. They will be made at the Puratos factory in Simonswood.

Demand for sourdough is growing, the company confirm, as consumers increasingly seek breads with natural ingredients and flavour. This growth in popularity for sourdough is supported by the findings of the 2020 Puratos Taste Tomorrow Report, which showed that 21% of shoppers now look for sourdough in products. Sourdough is also of interest to people looking for more gut-friendly foods, as awareness of the importance of gut health is growing and some studies suggest sourdough may be easier to digest due to the slow fermentation time.

The launch of UK sourdough sees Puratos combine its years of fermentation expertise, with its upto-date consumer insights, to develop products that are designed for the British consumer, say the company. The sourdoughs are liquid, live and focused on delivering fantastic flavours, created with UK consumers preferences in mind. They can be developed to meet individual customers’ needs, point out Puratos, with recipes and stories that will appeal to their consumers. This flexibility also means Puratos customers can bring unique sourdoughs with a signature flavour to market. The sourdoughs are gluten free and made with flours milled in the UK.

James Slater, R&D director, Puratos UK, who has developed the new sourdoughs, says: “As leaders in sourdough, we have been helping both industrial and artisan bakers develop high quality sourdough for over 25 years, so we are really delighted to be able to now create sourdoughs here in the UK. The new plant demonstrates our belief that the future of bread lies in its past and that sourdough will play a central role in the development of the bread category.”

To help its customers develop and market winning sourdough breads, Puratos has conducted in-depth research to understand consumer perceptions and expectations of sourdough. The research has revealed that there are four clear actions that can be taken to grow the category. Namely, create more opportunities to try it, communicate the possible benefits, inspire consumers with ways to use sourdough, and offer different sourdough flavour profiles to appeal to a wider audience.

The launch of the local sourdough range and consumer research adds to the existing range and expertise that is unique to Puratos, who also claim to be the creators of the world’s only Sourdough Library, where sourdoughs from all over the world are collected and preserved. This is complemented by its Quest for Sourdough, which encourages anyone with a sourdough starter to register details of their sourdough online and join a virtual community. Every year sourdoughs are selected from the online library to join the physical library at the Puratos Centre for Bread Flavour in St Vith.

Puratos has a number of existing sourdough products, including fresh and living sourdoughs for creating authentic sourdough breads and stabilised sourdoughs for adding a signature flavour to breads. Their range also includes O-tentic active bakery blends for baking delicious Italian style breads with just four ingredients: flour, water, salt and O-tentic. These are complemented by Puratos’ industry-leading clean label improvers and softgrains and sproutgrains that add great taste and texture, as well as some additional health benefits.

As the interest in sourdough continues to grow, Puratos says that it is investing to meet the UK’s sourdough demand and to ensure it can meet current and future sourdough needs.

New functional flour

Up to May 2021, gluten-free NPD accounted for over 20% of all product launches in the bakery sector – an increase from 12% in the previous year, report sector supplier Ulrick & Short. Furthermore, as premiumisation drives growth in the sector, and consumer expectations of products only continue to grow, developing high quality products is as important as ever, they feel.

In response to this, Ulrick & Short has launched a new functional flour, aimed specifically at improving viscosity, texture and structure in gluten free bakery applications. The new ingredient, called FazendaTM Nutrigel, is the latest addition to Ulrick & Short’s functional flour range launched last year. The ingredient acts as a viscosity regulator in bakery applications and has been designed to improve the moisture, softness and structure in a range of products. Nutrigel provides functionality in both sweet and savoury bakery applications – from breads and bread products to cakes and muffins, to gluten free batters and coatings.

Additionally, because of the versatility of functionality of Nutrigel, it promises to be an effective option to replace existing rice flours on the market, claim the company. The ingredient is also clean-label, non-GMO, allergen and gluten free, ensuring that all consumer labelling demands can be met.

Ulrick & Short development technologist, Emma Walker, said: “Fazenda Nutrigel is a really versatile ingredient for gluten-free bakery applications. Whether manufacturers simply require viscosity regulation in doughs or batters without reformulation or additional textural benefits, Nutrigel is a viable product on both counts.”

Ulrick & Short supply chain manager, Matthew Hurst, added: “In recent months, rice flour availability has been obstructed by a variety of issues impacting the supply chain. These challenges, coupled with a subsequent increase in demand has caused significant price rises across Europe, posing a challenge for many gluten free bakeries. fazenda nutrigel offers manufacturers not just an additional option for the supply of a key ingredient, but also a highly functional ingredient with additional textural benefits.”

New LX3000e Color Label Printer With ‘BIG INK’

Big Ink system delivers very low costs per label with outstanding speed and print quality.

DTM Print, international OEM and solution provider for specialty printing systems, introduces the new LX3000e Color Label Printer. LX3000e is the latest addition to the wellknown LX-Series of desktop full-colour label printers and uses the same proven and reliable platform as the popular LX910e Color Label Printer, but with the addition of large, individual ink tanks and a reusable thermal inkjet printhead. The ink system is being called ‘Big Ink’ to diff erentiate it from other LX-Series models. Print quality is exceptional with native 1200 dpi resolution with a maximum print resolution of 1200 dpi x 4800 dpi. Labels up to 210 mm (8.25”) wide and 610 mm (24”) long can be printed. Print speed is up to 114 mm (4.5”) per second.

Each separate CMY tank holds 60 ml of ink. Pre-primed, user-replaceable printheads have another 42 ml of ink, for a total of 222 ml ‘out of the box’ ink. Both dye and pigment models are available. Replacement ink tanks are easy to install without further priming for uninterrupted printing.

The Big Ink system on LX3000e uses latest technology dye and pigment inks optimised for brightness, durability, and optical density. The latter is particularly high for LX3000e’s process black, resulting in the blackest black released in a CMY printer. Process black has many advantages for labels over the separate carbon black inks used by other colour label printers, including better water resistance, compatibility with a broader range of speciality label media, and more resistance to smearing on high gloss media.

The LX3000e is ideal for users that need to print up to 10,000 labels per day. Other users will fi nd the very low operating costs to be just as advantageous. The rugged, powder-coated steel cover and all-steel frame helps to protect the printer in most offi ce, warehouse, and factory environments.

“The LX3000e is a desktop label printer that expands perfectly our portfolio of printing solutions,” says Andreas Hoff mann, managing director of DTM Print. “It combines the latest in ink technology, excellent print quality and exceptional low cost per label.”

DTM Print off ers great additional benefi ts with all its products such as free label design software (BarTender UltraLite and NiceLabel Free 2019 DTM Version), three years warranty, support and service through local partners, and a large variety of approved label substrates under the brand ‘Genuine DTM Label Stock’.

“Besides label printers for diff erent production volumes our product range includes label fi nishing solutions, applicators and metallic foil imprinters, providing installations ‘tailored’ to the end-user’s needs,” adds Mr. Hoff mann.

LX3000e sells for € 2,895 (MSRP) and is available directly from DTM Print or through local DTM Print partners in Europe, Middle East and Africa.