Leading baked goods manufacturer, Délifrance has today published fresh research and insight on sustainability in the baked goods industry.
Incorporating attitudes and opinions from 2,000 consumers across the UK, ‘Prove It: The sustainable future of baked goods’ is a deep dive on sustainability trends, the top sustainability credentials for consumers, and how these affect their buying decisions.
It also highlights opportunities for food operators and retailers to adapt to meet the needs of this discerning but growing group of sustainability-aware consumers.
Revealing that consumer consciousness is already significant, a third of the survey respondents claimed to be aware of the carbon footprint of their baked goods. Further, more than 1 in 7 (15%) said this affects whether or not they buy a product.
The number of sustainability conscious consumers is likely to grow, however, with 71% of respondents saying they’d like to know more.
Providing their top priorities on sustainability measures, and details on where they’d like to see more information, the report provides guidelines and examples for operators and retailers on where to prioritise activity and how best to promote this.
Stéphanie Brillouet, Délifrance marketing director, said, “Over the last few years, the food industry has faced a raft of new challenges - from supply issues through to skyrocketing energy prices.
'This has made it harder than ever to implement activities that bake in sustainability across the supply chain – from procurement to food waste. And it’s the reason why we renewed our sustainability commitments last year, through launching our Baking Good Better CSR Strategy.”
“We carried out this research to make sure we’re moving the needle in the right direction, while discovering what sustainability means to baked goods consumers in the UK today. It appears we’re on the right track, and that sustainability is becoming less of a ‘nice to have’ and more of an ‘essential’ for food operators and retailers.
'Fortunately, many respondents also showed a strong understanding of shared responsibility and indicated that they’ll pay a premium, showing a willingness to support proactive operators. This is great news as we work together as an industry towards our common goal of carbon neutrality.”