Baking & Snack - November 2004 - 8

EDITORIAL
Whole Gains

hole-wheat appears to be making a comeback. And that's good news for the
grain-based foods industry as it moves into the brave new world of whole grains
about to be created by the proposed 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
While researching this month's article about ingredient handling systems, I
learned that a number of bakers and tortilla producers were upgrading to increase their
capacity to handle more whole-wheat flour. The reason? Resurging consumer interest in
whole-wheat. Or as a storage equipment manufacturer described the trend: "Usually [these
processors] are not in the mode of increasing overall production or throughput but replacing white product with quick-selling whole-wheat products."
Quick-selling? When was the last time those words applied to whole-wheat products?
Only now are details of this change beginning to emerge. The trend is so new that it's
not apparent in the 2002 Census of Manufacturers data, released in September by the Department of Commerce; however, supermarket aisles display portents of this turnaround.
Labels touting "whole-wheat" and "whole-grain" can be found, prominently printed on
packages up and down the bread aisle.
Recent introductions in the premium bread category have nearly always emphasized
whole-wheat or whole-grain content. Bakery brands typically used for variety bread are
climbing in an interesting pattern.
The details are fascinating. In less than four months after Sara Lee introduced its Delightful Wheat, a reduced-carb product, it hit No. 12 on the list of top-selling brands. The company also recently added 100% whole-wheat bagels under the Delightful and Heart Healthy
lines. In September, General Mills, Inc. announced plans to incorporate whole grains into
its entire range of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal products, including children's brands such
as Trix and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Pepperidge Farm followed suit and introduced 100%
whole-wheat English muffins. And the list goes on.
In a way, this invokes a more basic question: Does the food industry lead or follow consumer tastes? Alas, today it follows. Oh, there are a few notable exceptions, generally involving "first of " products. In nearly every big trend to hit American eating preferences over the
past couple decades, the food business fell behind the eight ball. What other explanation
can there be for the way food processors, and bakers in particular, were blindsided by the
Atkins and South Beach diets?
Buzz about low-carb circulated widely among consumers long before mainstream
food processors caught on to the discussion. Had the industry listened in at the start,
we might have been able to help consumers make the transition to high-fiber - and
low-carb - products much earlier. Don't let it be the same way with today's emerging
interest in whole grains.
There's no question that we need to better anticipate consumer trends. Researchers such
as Information Resources, Inc. and ACNielsen do an excellent job with data analysis and projection. Futurists, too, can
be enlisted to bring new perspectives to R&D and marketing
efforts. But in the end, the decision is yours.
Consequences are high if market trends are missed or
misjudged, and playing catch-up can be a frustrating way
to operate. By managing consumer intelligence well, however, you can experience more "whole gains" and suffer
fewer "whole pains."
- Laurie Gorton, Executive Editor
lgorton@sosland.com

10 / BAKING & SNACK / November 2004

EDITORIAL STAFF
Executive Editor
Laurie Gorton
lgorton@sosland.com
Editor

Steve Berne
sberne@sosland.com

Associate Editor

Shane Whitaker
swhitaker@sosland.com

Associate Editor

Holly Bradley
hbradley@sosland.com

Editorial Intern

Robin Hatfield

Contributing Editor

Richard F. Stier

Contributing Editor

Dr. Clyde E. Stauffer

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Baking & Snack - November 2004

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