Artisanal appeal: Consumer demand for transparency “wraps up” in UK bakery sector

12 Nov 2019 --- Consumer demand for transparency continues to grow, specifically in the bakery and convenience space. Today’s super-conscious consumers frequently opt for choices they deem healthy, sustainable and planet-friendly. Interest in artisanal products, as opposed to ultra-processed bakery items, is also on the rise. In this context, Mediterranean food supplier Dina Foods offers a new flatbread range, which provides authenticity and taps into the provenance trend. Meanwhile, UK-based Zinda Foods aims to reinvent wraps without palm oil.

The launches come during a time when consumer demand for naturality is fast climbing the industry’s trend list, while ingredient provenance is not only an added perk but a prerequisite that drives consumer choice. In the bakery space, taste and texture are crucial elements and driving factors behind repeated purchases. However, the demand for clean label offerings, featuring natural ingredients that boost health and wellness, is also gaining momentum.

Combining authenticity and provenance
“Consumer demand for authenticity and provenance in foods is mainly an outcome of yet another key trend towards healthier, lighter and natural food,” Wilda Haddad, Assistant General Manager and Project Director at Dina Foods tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

Dina Foods’ two-layer Paninette flatbread is much in demand as it offers an on-trend combination of authenticity and provenance, all-in-one vegetarian-friendly and high-quality flatbread. Dina Foods’ two-layer Paninette flatbread is much in demand as it offers an on-trend combination of authenticity and provenance, all-in-one vegetarian-friendly and high-quality flatbread. The company uses a “bespoke flour mix for Paninette, milled in the French style and baked in a stone oven to create this unique two-layer Mediterranean flatbread.” This gives a light and delicate texture and soft, flexible bread, which is presented in a disc shape.

London-based Dina Foods also supplies a wide range of other authentic wholemeal, white and seeded flatbreads, wraps and pitta bread, alongside the Paninette flatbread. 

According to the company, the Paninette flatbread is “unique and can be used as a wrap or as a pocket to include many fillings.” The Paninette is also a healthy, versatile and convenient option for sandwiches.

“We make Paninette with a blend of French flours, especially milled for us, and then baked in our traditional stone ovens. They can be served alongside traditional Lebanese mezze, used as a meal accompaniment or a tear and share bread. Paninette is as much in demand in supermarkets in a retail pack, as in the foodservice sector for use as a convenient sandwich wrap,” explains Haddad. 

“Consumer’s perception is that the industrialization of society and the advent of mass production has deprived the consumer of the freshness, natural ingredients and the higher nutritious content of the authentic food in general and bread in particular,” she explains. 

The consumer generally correlates authenticity with fewer chemicals, more natural and hence healthier bread, adds Haddad. 

Moreover, the trend towards authentic and artisan bread has been strengthened by changes in consumer eating habits, especially in the realms of convenient and on-the-go foods, which demand lighter and more versatile bread. “The advent of flatbreads and the success of Paninette is associated with this specific need and development in consumer eating habits,” Haddad notes. 

The expansion in this segment is also accelerated by the fast increase in the number of sandwich makers and fast food outlets who cater to the evolving consumer demand, she says. In line with this, Dina Foods predicted this trend and introduced its Paninette as a flatbread, which “is uniquely baked in such a way that it provides a two-layer bread with a ready pocket for filling with various food,” Haddad adds. 

Palm oil-free opportunities
It is also vital for Dina Foods that its products are palm oil-free. “We supply EU customers who specifically do not want any palm oil in their products,” Haddad continues. “Some research has highlighted that there are high levels of saturated fats in palm oil, which is claimed to cause disease. In addition, the use of palm oil has contributed to deforestation, impacting the habitats and affecting the ecosystem. With this in mind, we have been guided by customer demand and not introduced palm oil in any of our products,” she explains. 

With palm oil-free products in mind, UK-based Zinda Foods has launched a new range of ready-to-go lunch options. The company has hailed its AirWrap product as “the UK’s first and only palm oil-free wrap,” as the demand for palm-oil free food booms in popularity. 

Anishya Kumar, Founder and Managing Director at Zinda tells FoodIngredientsFirst that palm oil, palm fat (often not declared) and its derivatives is a double-edged sword. “It is not a healthy oil and is not sustainable. However, it is a cheaper oil used commonly for large scale processed and ultra-processed foods to increase shelf life,” she says.

The AirWrap was a kitchen table concept and developed at home. “Palm oil is not a common store cupboard ingredient and so was never part of the ingredient list when the product was initially developed. To keep it as natural and basic to the original concept while scaling up to make it commercially viable, we then consciously decided not to include palm oil. On the sustainability front, deforestation in any form is something we as a company cannot subscribe to. And since sustainable palm oil and full traceability of using sustainable palm oil is very much only at a nascent stage, we have opted out,” Kumar notes.

Zinda Foods has launched a new range of ready-to-go lunch options. The company has hailed its AirWrap product as “the UK’s first and only palm oil-free wrap.” 

Earlier this month, Zinda Foods made a significant step in the growth of the business as it rolled out in over 60 Tesco stores in the UK. 

According to the company, the range boasts many health credentials, appealing to consumer tastes and demands for better quality produce in the convenience sector. 

Speaking about the roll out, Kumar says, “We were initially listed with 62 Tesco stores around London in January 2019, it was a trial period, and this recent development is wonderful validation for us as a growing business. This roll out means we can offer many more customers access to delicious, healthy, and above all great quality alternatives to the traditional lunchtime fare.” 

By Elizabeth Green