From Indulgence to Nutrition: Evolution of the Bakery and Snacks Market
Explore how Roquette empowers bakery manufacturers to develop products with indulgent taste, better nutrition, reduced sugar, fiber, and protein enriched
Key Elements Driving the Bakery and Snacks Market
The global bakery and snacks sector is in the midst of significant transformation. Today’s consumers want enjoyable flavors and familiar textures, but increasingly— they demand healthier products: lower sugar, higher protein, and added fiber.
At Roquette, we collaborate with food manufacturers to help them develop bakery and snack products that respond to these new demands. By understanding market drivers, key challenges, and offering innovative solutions, we empower our partners to fulfill evolving consumer expectations.
Market Drivers: What's Shaping the Bakery and Snacks Sector?
Today’s bakery and snacks market is shaped by a set of strong drivers:
Better-for-you positioning.
There is a clear consumer push for products that offer added value: digestive health, higher protein and fiber, or less sugar.
Functionality and convenience.
Consumers seek ready-to-eat and on-the-go options that support their busy lifestyles while aligning with their health goals.
Plant-based and sustainable choices.
Vegan and vegetarian claims are prominent, notably in Europe, where innovative flavors and better-for-you attributes are driving launches. Plant-based product claims for salty snacks grew at a CAGR of 50% from 2018 to 2023, indicating a major global shift.
Allergen-free preferences.
Demand for allergen-free bakery and snack products is rising—these claims accounted for 20-28% of new salty snack launches between 2020 and 2023.
Source: Mintel “ a-year-of-innovation-in-salty-snacks-and-fruit-mixes-2024”, Mintel “The future of salty snacks 2024”, Mintel GNPD 2023-2020
Challenges: What Makes Meeting these Trends Difficult?
While these drivers represent opportunities, challenges arise in trying to meet them—especially when balancing health benefits with taste and texture.
Sugar Reduction Without Sensory Compromise
Consumers want products with less sugar, but expect the same sweetness and texture. Reformulating recipes to reduce sugar while preserving familiar mouthfeel is a technical hurdle.
Maintaining Taste and Texture
Reformulating with new ingredients (for instance, to make products gluten-free or vegan) can result in undesirable changes to taste, texture, or appearance if not carefully managed.
Enhancing With Fiber and Protein
Adding fiber and protein can negatively impact dough handling, product structure, or the eating experience. Suppliers and manufacturers must find ways to enrich products nutritionally, without sacrificing consumer appeal.
Roquette’s Ingredient Solutions: How We Address Bakery and Snack Challenges
To overcome these challenges and respond to market drivers, Roquette offers targeted ingredient solutions:
Sugar Management
SweetPearl® maltitol enables the production of bakery goods with no added sugars, yet with the taste and texture consumers expect.
• For biscuits, SweetPearl® P90 acts both as a bulking agent and binder, producing sweet, crunchy results.
• For fillings, SweetPearl® P130 provides the necessary sweetness for familiar sandwich biscuit formats—all without added sugar.
Preserving Taste and Texture
CLEARAM® cook-up starch, PREGEFLO® pregelatinized starch, and GLUCIDEX® maltodextrin help maintain the desired bite, texture, and appearance. Managing texture is key, especially in gluten-free, vegan, and lactose-free products
WELLENCE™ gluten-free solutions enhance texture, moisture retention, and stability in baked goods. Ideal for bread, muffins, and pizza dough, they mimic gluten’s structure using cellulose-based ingredient.
Nutritional Enrichment -Fiber and Protein
NUTRIOSE® soluble fiber allows for high-fiber, sugar-reduced bakery and snack products that also support digestive health.
• It maintains product structure and bulk, enabling nutritional improvements without negative sensory effects.
• Fiber enrichment makes it possible to create high-fiber breakfast muffins, bars, and more that appeal to health-conscious consumers.
NUTRALYS® B85F pea protein isolate (with 85% protein) is designed for bakery applications, enabling increased protein content with minimal impact on dough handling, product texture, or volume.
Ingredient Solutions Matching Product Types in Bakery and Snacks
Sweet Biscuits and Cookies
Roquette’s plant-based sugar alternatives—like SweetPearl® maltitol—help producers reduce sugar while keeping biscuits sweet, crunchy, and indulgent.
Salty Snacks
Salty snacks (chips, crackers) benefit from NUTRALYS® plant proteins and NUTRIOSE® soluble fibers, producing nutritious, satisfying products with high protein and fiber—without processing challenges.
Cereal and Snack Bars
For on-the-go nutrition, combining NUTRIOSE® soluble fiber and NUTRALYS® plant protein allows bars to offer both added fiber and balanced protein, all while preserving the flavors and textures consumers crave.