Bread & Grain Trends

A Hy-Vee supermarket in Urbandale, Ill., sells about 400 half- and full-loaves of sourdough bread every week in four varieties: regular, roasted garlic, rye, and jalapeño-cheddar. The volume sold makes sourdough one of the most popular breads at the store and inspired the store manager to sell sourdough rolls. The Hy-Vee experience is an example of a trend among supermarkets to offer more natural, preservative-free breads. Authentic sourdough is made with only flour, water, and salt, and no other additives or preservatives. According to Mintel, sourdough bread is also a facet of another growing food trend: fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha.  About 50 Hy-Vee stores in the Midwest were taught how to make sourdough starter, and now bake the loaves on a regular basis.

A unit of Wayne, Pa.-based Tekni-Plex, Inc. was granted a patent for its Sniff Seal technology, the first container liner to enable scent permeation through an induction seal closure liner that doesn’t affect the seal or compromise the contents. The company says Sniff Seal technology allows the consumer to experience a scent in the retail aisle without compromising the seal or the product contents.  A wide variety of product categories, including food, beverage, personal care, cosmetics can benefit from the technology. Often consumers peel back seals or remove fitments to experience the scent before buying​. The product is then no longer saleable, leading to retailer loss. The Sniff Seal liner eliminates this problem because it provides an olfactory experience without removing the seal. Tamper evidence remains in place and the product integrity is maintained.

Freedom Foods North America, a unit of the Australian company, is introducing a line of healthful, affordable snacks for kids who are “picky eaters.” Messy Monkeys are baked whole grain non-GMO sorghum and quinoa bites available in kid-friendly flavors, including pizza, cheese, and apple. Each serving contains 14 percent protein, seven percent fiber, one gram of sugar, and less than 100 mg of salt. Messy Monkeys are sold in a 10-pack for $5.99 and are available for now only through Amazon. The company said distribution partnerships with multiple natural foods retailers will be announced soon, and the snacks will be selling nationwide by the end of the year.

Family-owned California bakery Sugar Bowl Bakery has launched a line of clean label miniature “Button Cakes” in four flavors. The minicakes are made with butter and eggs, contain real fruit and vanilla bean seeds, but no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. The Button Cakes – available in tropical mango, wild blueberry, lemon zest and madagascar vanilla flavors – will be sold in eight- and 16-count packages in retail stores throughout the U.S.  They were introduced at the recent International Dairy Deli Bakery Association Show in New Orleans, La.

N.Y.-based clean label muffin bakery start-up Soozy’s has snagged $2.5 million in seed funding from two VC companies. The company's products are certified gluten-free, certified paleo, Non-GMO Project Verified, and contain no gums, fillers, refined sugars, grains, dairy, peanuts, soy or additives. Soozy's products can be purchased online or in 500 retail outlets in Texas, the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including H-E-B and Wegmans. Investors include BIGR Ventures, a growth equity fund, and AccelFoods, an investment fund that focuses on innovative, high-growth packaged food and beverage companies.

A study published in a scientific journal confirms that bread and cereals contain many nutrients that contribute to successful aging. Researchers analyzed data from surveys of more than 4,500 adults over 50 conducted between 2011 and 2014 regarding their consumption of all grains, especially focusing on vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. They found that grain foods contribute less than five percent of total saturated fat and less than 15 percent all calories yet comprise 14 percent of all energy in the total diet. Grains are among the most nutrient-rich foods in terms of dietary fiber, iron, folate, magnesium, calcium, thiamin and niacin. The study was published in the journal Nutrients.