Each year, World Baking Day is a welcome opportunity to celebrate the industry, take stock of trends and imagine what the future might have in store. This year, it is admittedly more difficult to look far into the future given the challenges we face right now. But at DSM, we believe fiercely in our industry’s ability to adapt, to innovate, and to step through these challenges together.

Already, collective resilience and flexibility is enabling the industry to keep moving forward. Supply chain partners have pivoted quickly to maintain an available food supply, and each day industry players overcome transport issues and production hurdles to ensure customer needs are met. The pandemic still triggers border shutdowns and logistics ‘ripple effects’ that require continuous problem-solving.

Now we face the war in Ukraine and its compounding impact on ingredient availability (flour and sunflower oil), volatile material costs (ascorbic acid, DATEM, lecithin, SSL), labor and the supply chain. There is no quick-fix, and there are both short—and long-term consequences to navigate. Identifying alternative (and less costly) raw materials and ingredients while optimizing baking processes still maintaining quality, and slashing waste by maximizing the freshness of baked goods, are urgent priorities.

The link between food and health

Despite all of this instability, one constant that remains is consumer demand for nutritious foods. They are increasingly mindful of the connection between their diet and overall health and wellness and look to everyday food and drink to provide a healthful boost. Worth noting is that 64% of consumers indicated that, over the past 12 months, they have become more interested in learning more about the influence of food on their health¹, while food and beverage products with immunity claims grew by roughly 28% from 2019 to 2021².