Consumers are paying more attention to the ingredients in the foods they buy. “They want to know exactly what is in their food, and where the food or the ingredients it contains come from,” says Sherry Harper, director of marketing, Flowers Foods, Thomasville, Ga. “There is even a growing interest in knowing how the foods they buy impact the environment. That is one reason we continue to see interest in organic foods.”

In line with this trend, consumers continue to demand better-for-you breads that deliver a specific health benefit or offer beneficial ingredients, such as whole grains and fiber. In response, breads are offering more natural, nutritional ingredients. Nature's Own, for example, is encompassing this trend with its Double Fiber Wheat Bread with omega-3 and new breakfast breads made with good sources of calcium, and vitamins A, C, D and E. Rudi's Organic produces better-for-you organic breads that are free of high-fructose corn syrup and artificial chemicals, two ingredients that concern many consumers.

While rising food costs have forced food companies to increase their prices, bread sales continue to remain strong. Fresh bread sales were up 6.9 percent compared with last year, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI) data for the 52 weeks ended April 20, 2008.

“With the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service claims that Americans eat approximately 122 lb. of wheat flour — used for breads and other grain foods — per person per year, bread continues to be an American staple,” says Doug Radi, vice president, marketing, Rudi's Organic Bakery, Boulder, Colo.

Rising food prices are actually sending more Americans into the bread aisle as they try to save money by eating more meals at home and packing homemade lunches, instead of eating out. “This shift should benefit the bread category since sandwiches are delicious, quick and inexpensive meals that can be enjoyed by anyone on a tight budget,” Harper says.

According to Mintel's product news database, consumers are demanding more natural breads with nutritional ingredients. Premium breads that feature quality ingredients and artisan breads are expected to increase in sales. Traditional grains, such as amaranth, quinoa, sorghum or spelt, are predicted to become more popular, especially for wheat-intolerant consumers. In addition, whole grain breads are expected to remain strong.

Still, white bread continues to bring in sales. Sunbeam, for example, made the top 10 bread brands list for the 52 weeks ended April 20, 2008. “Sunbeam and our other regional white bread brands continue to perform well. There are very loyal white bread consumers who enjoy the soft texture and mild taste of white bread,” Harper says.

Top 10
bread brands

Brands	52-week dollar sales	% change prior year	Dollar share	52-week unit share	% change prior year	Unit share
PRIVATE LABEL FRESH BREAD	$1,564,565,000	2.4	24.5	$1,150,628,000	-5.1	37.0
NATURES OWN FRESH BREAD	338,583,400	16.9	5.3	148,806,800	9.0	4.8
OROWEAT FRESH BREAD	316,339,000	6.1	5.0	91,412,680	1.6	2.9
WONDER FRESH BREAD	247,689,100	-4.1	3.9	108,916,200	-12.6	3.5
ARNOLD FRESH BREAD	229,956,400	18.0	3.6	81,472,350	12.0	2.6
SARA LEE SOFT & SMOOTH FRESH BREAD	179,498,600	33.3	2.8	78,784,300	21.5	2.5
SARA LEE FRESH BREAD	119,758,500	-15.7	1.9	46,969,120	-21.7	1.5
SUNBEAM FRESH BREAD	112,477,500	3.0	1.8	59,644,300	-2.6	1.9
PEPPERIDGE FARM SWIRL FRESH BREAD	101,503,200	-14.0	1.6	39,455,440	-19.4	1.3
PEPPERIDGE FARM FRESH BREAD	96,906,030	14.3	1.5	33,600,660	8.8	1.1
Source: Information Resources Inc. statistics for the 52-week period ended April 20, 2008.

Fresh Bakery Products

	52 Weeks Ending April 20 Dollar Sales	% Change Prior Year	52 Weeks Ending April 20 Unit Sales	% Change Prior Year
Bread	$1,526,168,400	6.9	$3,113,493,700	-3.7
Crackers	837,910,900	2.8	1,486,310,000	-1.1
Cookies	835,636,600	-0.7	2,286,172,700	-5.1
Rolls/Buns/Croissants	444,579,600	6.9	1,193,025,000	-0.7
Cupcakes/Brownies	222,342,100	-2.9	524,380,700	-2.5
Pastry/Danish/Coffeecake	154,117,000	-0.7	284,710,800	-2.0
Donuts	150,119,600	-4.5	256,574,000	-7.1
English Muffins	128,912,200	8.7	216,749,100	2.3
Bagels/Bialys	128,173,200	9.3	179,053,500	-1.4
Muffins	81,109,060	18.1	100,743,100	0.0
Cakes (excl snack/coffee)	54,338,810	0.4	131,156,800	-6.0
Pies (excl Snack Pies)	35,170,640	-6.1	45,063,160	-12.8
Frozen Bakery Products
Bread/Biscuits/Pastry Dough	$128,462,200	6.1	$202,835,700	0.4
Pies	69,875,120	-0.1	89,449,820	0.1
Sweetgoods (excl cheesecakes)	50,131,760	2.1	56,808,330	3.4
Bread/Rolls/Pastry Dough	27,956,990	5.5	42,524,570	-0.7
Pies/Pastry Shells	17,621,410	-1.4	50,289,260	-6.9
Cheesecakes	17,098,040	-4.1	13,746,540	-8.0
Bagels	11,994,500	4.8	33,418,200	-11.4
Muffins	3,852,264	105.9	2,774,993	66.7
Cookie Dough	1,795,384	139.2	1,589,690	96.7
Cookies	18,327	-40.1	28,035	51.6
Refrigerated Bakery Products
Biscuit Dough	$85,277,140	0.0	$290,419,900	-5.0
Cookie/Brownie Dough	83,302,060	-3.7	138,353,100	-5.6
Bread/Rolls/Bun Dough	63,175,180	2.4	129,990,400	-1.3
Pastry/Dumpling Dough	62,369,870	4.2	127,185,700	-1.9
Cakes (excl Snack/Coffee)	15,298,980	-2.8	9,245,238	2.8
Bagels/Bialys	11,880,540	-6.8	37,463,560	-8.1
English Muffins	8,545,399	5.9	18,525,690	3.8
Pies (excl Snack Pies)	4,716,267	-20.2	4,429,334	-17.9
Pastry/Danish/Coffeecakes	4,008,002	337.3	6,755,006	318.3
Snack Cakes/Donuts	1,831,003	16.6	1,867,115	6.0
Bread	859,310	-5.4	1,724,396	-4.6
Dinner Rolls/Croissants	245,038	23.1	710,395	26.2
Muffins	21,574	37.4	36,986	247.1
Source: Information Resources ADG May 14, 2008