MARKET
Health is on the menu
Consumers have been increasingly opting for healthier versions of their favorite baked snacks, a trend that boosts sales across flavor categories, from sweet to savory. After a year that saw a reevaluation of entire supply chains, the use of ethical, health and dietary claims in Sweet and Savory Biscuits* in Western Europe is more important than in any other region worldwide, Euromonitor finds.
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In the last five years, organic and free-from gluten sweet biscuits have seen the biggest growth in Western Europe. The market also faces rising competition from fruit and nuts bars, as consumers look for more reduced sugar and on-the-go snacks. This trend is very similar in the savory biscuits category, as consumers are seeking healthier alternatives. Vegetables, pulse and bread chips, popcorn and rice sales have grown accordingly, at CAGRs of 23%, 5% and 8% respectively from 2015 to 2020, in contrast to savory biscuits, where sales have grown by a 1.5% CAGR. All these categories should maintain positive results in the next five years but as the first three gain in maturity, their sales increase should gradually slow. Despite current external factors, permissible indulgence remains a hot topic in food and drinks, health-conscious consumers included. Consumer purchasing power is forecast to suffer as a result of the pandemic – but health through food will remain important, and demand for premium, indulgent snacks will keep growing in the future. Consumption priorities when in lockdown Sales of sweet biscuits showed very positive growth in 2020, especially in North-Western European countries, where year-on-year value sales increased by 6%. Savory biscuits posted a slightly more modest performance in Western Europe, rising by 4%, with the most significant growth in Ireland (12%) and Germany (8%). In the first month of the pandemic, national lockdowns and panic buying had led to massive stockpiling across the whole region. Today, consumers are still looking for convenience and shelf-stable food as they spend most of their time at home, and while foodservice remains closed. With the rise of e-commerce and home seclusion, consumers have also shifted their consumption from on-the-go snacks to larger pack sizes. But with less opportunity to go outside, they are increasing the time they spend in their kitchen. In some countries, such as the UK and France, flour was barely accessible in the first month of lockdown. Yeast was largely missing from supermarket shelves throughout Europe in spring. The supply chain has improved since, and home-made snacks have become an important competitor for packaged biscuit manufacturers. * Cookies and crackers are called sweet and savory biscuits according to Euromonitor’s categorization
www.bakingbiscuit.com 01/2021
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