Disruptive bakery trends with fresh, natural and sustainable ingredients (2020)

Generation Z and Millennial consumers are the major trend drivers in the bakery sector, with many seeking out fresh, natural products with sustainable ingredients.¹ To ensure success, it is vital that manufacturers deliver baked goods that meet their expectations. Color is another key factor for shoppers, and its importance should not be underestimated. It can have a dramatic effect not only on product sales but also how consumers experience the flavor.² With the right coloring, bakery products will communicate quality, taste, brand value and freshness. With EXBERRY^® by GNT, our experts have a wealth of knowledge on how to create successful color concepts for bakery products. Here we highlight some of the most disruptive bakery trends – and how Coloring Foods can help.

Floral flavors

Today’s adventurous consumers are exploring a wider range of natural flavorings in cakes and other baked goods, with florals like chamomile, violet and pandan seeing strong growth.³ These interesting flavors can be paired with vivid colors such as yellows, purples and greens to ensure they stand out from the crowd. Coloring Foods are the ideal way to create any color scheme. Made from fruits, vegetables and edible plants, they can deliver a vast range of vibrant shades from ingredients consumers can trust.

Making an Instagram impact

There are now more than 80 million Instagram posts tagged with #cake as users seek to share their spectacular sweet treats with the world. Rainbow, unicorn and galaxy colors are among the popular themes, while colors rooted in nature are also coming into play.⁴ Blues and greens, for example, can help consumers re-connect with nature as they evoke marine environments and mountain landscapes. Coloring Foods can be used to create dazzling color effects, from soft unicorn shades to vibrant blues and greens.

Consumers calling for clean labels

Consumer demand for clean labels is well established, and they are becoming increasingly important in the bakery sector. Baked goods manufacturers are now not only seeking to use ‘clean’ ingredients but to go beyond that by highlighting their sustainability credentials.⁵ Nearly half (48%) of Millennial and Generation Z consumers say they would be convinced to try baked goods if the ingredients were responsibly sourced.⁶ EXBERRY^® Coloring Foods perfectly match these shoppers’ demands. They offer the ultimate in clean and clear labeling, with colors created from plant-based ingredients using sustainable production methods.

Something seasonal

Manufacturers are increasingly looking to launch limited edition and seasonal bakery products, such as special editions for Halloween, Christmas and Easter. These time-limited products can provide something new, different and exciting, which fits with consumers’ desire to enjoy new food experiences.⁷ Coloring Foods can help ensure these in-out launches catch the eye, with impactful colors such as orange and red shades tapping into shoppers’ sense of adventure.

Going green

With shoppers seeking out positive nutrition, vegetable ingredients are proving a popular way to transform baked goods.8 Colorful vegetable-based breads, such as rye with root vegetables or black mint and sweet potato sourdough, are a great way to attract health-conscious consumers. Coloring Foods help vegetable ingredients stand out, attracting shoppers’ attention and boosting the perception of flavor with a truly appetizing appearance.

_{1 American Bakers Association 2019 Study ‘Attracting Gen Z and Millennial Customers’ (April 2019) 2 Spence, C. ‘On the psychological impact of food colour’ Flavour (2015) 3 thefoodpeople ‘Bakery’ 4 thefoodpeople ‘Bakery’ 5 Mintel ‘The Future Of Bread, Bakery And Cakes: 2020’ (January 2020) 6 American Bakers Association 2019 Study ‘Attracting Gen Z and Millennial Customers’ (April 2019) 7 Innova Market Insights ‘Flavor Trends: On a Discovery Mission’ (July 2019) 8 Mintel ‘3 Global Bakery Trends to Look For In 2019’ (November 2018)}