Baked Goods Aisle: Baked Goods are Rising Quickly
STORE PROFILE BAKED GOODS AISLE of natural sugar. Th e most popular item is our Crispy Green Crispy Apples available at over 700 retail stores including Th e Fresh Market, selected Whole Food Markets and Ukrop , Liu says. Danielle Exotic Fruit Snacks from New England Herbal Foods are also a popular, healthy treat. Celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Ming Tsai have touted the Danielle Fruit and Veggie Chips in Roasted Coconut a product the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade honored as the Gold Winner of the Outstanding New Product 2009 sofi TM Award. Th e chips also come in Tangy Pineapple, Honey Banana, Golden Durian, Sweet Mango, Sweet Jackfruit, Crunchy Pumpkin, and Spicy Carrot varieties. From Explorer's Bounty come a selection of crunchy fruit puff s called Gallup-A-Loozas, 100% organic pure fruit in fl avors like Puff ed Banana, Banana Pineapple, Cinnamon Pineapple, Pineapple, and Plantain. Embracing Ethnic Flavors Th ere's an explosion of Mexican, Latin, Asian and Indian fl avors throughout the food and beverage industry. Snacks are no exception. With the infl uence of ethnic foods, fl avors of snacks are also getting more interesting and `exotic'; the use of spices such as curry, chile pepper and hot and sour fl avors will continue to grow, Liu reports. Boulder Canyon Natural Foods' Rice & Adzuki Bean artisan snack chips are one example. Th e chips, which blend Southwest and Asian fl avors, feature the adzuki bean, a legume native to East Asia that contains fi ber, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc copper, manganese and vitamin B3. Flavor choices include Sun Dried Tomato with Basil, Chipotle Cheese and Natural Salt. Laurel Hill brings customers exotic fl avors in its Olive & Caper Tortilla Chips; Pepita & Spice Tortilla Chips made with pumpkin puree, nutty roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and a proprietary blend of Sea Salt & Lime Tortilla Chips with an aged soy sauce called tamari. New England Herbal Foods adds international fl air in its Ricepod line with the spicy Chili Mix and Japanese-inspired Sesame Mix and Wasabi Mix fat-free rice crackers. Baked Goods Are Rising Quickly By Sam Molineaux-Graham Natural Food Network Contributing Editor H igher incidences of food allergies as well as more people baking at home have led to an increase in the market for flours, grains, cake and cookie mixes, as well as specific diet-related baked goods such as gluten-free and dairy-free products. And many consumers, motivated by health factors, are heading to the natural and organic aisle to provide them with options in the baked goods sector. In its Organic 2006 report, research consultants Th e Hartman Group identifi ed having a family member with a health condition such as food allergies as one of the key initial triggers for a consumer turning to organic food. Sales of fl our and grains increased 34 percent in the fi rst half of 2009, according to Packaged Facts' Th e U.S. Market for Whole and Other Grains (April 2009). New product introductions in baked goods over the past three years refl ect a focus on whole grains, convenience in the form of prepared mixes and single-serve packaging, high fi ber with its attendant claims for heart health, natural, and gluten-free products, says the report. Key market drivers are identifi ed as the deteriorating economy (consumers are baking and eating at home), GROCERS OFFERING ALLERGEN-FREE FOODS ESTABLISH A GATEWAY TO SALES OF ORGANIC BAKED GOODS Elisa Gambino's Via Elisa line of pasta sauces was fi nanced in part by Whole Foods Market's Local Producer Loan Program. Photo by K ate Medle y, W hole F ood s Mark et s. widespread recognition of the health benefi ts of whole grains and fi ber-rich foods, and the expanding market for wheat-free and gluten-free foods. Th e economy has defi nitely had an eff ect on our consumers' behavior, says Matthew Cox, marketing manager at Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods. We've seen near 25 percent increase in the purchase of bulk (25 lb) bags of our whole grain products. It portrays an audience that has a penchant for unique and enlightened food experiences but whose pocketbooks have limited their freedom to dine out. As an alternative, they are cultivating those joys at home, using our crazy Natural Food Network 17