Milling & Baking News - December 30, 2008 - 21

Grain-based foods

Product rewind
From Fiber One pancake mix to reduced sodium bread, manufacturers
made their mark in '08 with products with a health focus.

hen it comes to new product introductions within
the grain-based foods industry, the past few years have been
defined by an increasing number of
whole grain products, a focus on
portion control and a small shift
away from indulgence.
In 2008, while grain-based foods
manufacturers continued to keep
their fingers on the pulse of the
aforementioned trends, there has
been a noticeable move toward other areas of interest.
Boosting health benefits, particularly in bread, ignited a flurry of product launches during the late summer
and early fall. Another trend saw the
industry's largest players take existing popular brands and extend them
into previously unchartered categories. Convenience also remained top
of mind, as consumers' call for quickand-easy meal preparation played into
decisions to introduce even more microwavable products as well as snacks
that may be eaten on the go.
While it is impossible to predict
whether this year's trends in new
products will carry over into the new
year, all signs point to continued momentum.
Baking in benefits
Ever since the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans were updated in 2005
to emphasize the need for greater
whole grains consumption, the
grain-based foods industry - and
the bread industry especially - has
been focused on delivering more
whole grains without compromising
taste. The success stories involved in
this trend are numerous, highlighted
by the impressive growth of the Soft
& Smooth line of products from Sara
Lee Corp., Downers Grove, Ill.
For years bakers tinkered with formulations in an effort to not compromise on taste. Now that that hurdle
has been cleared, focus has shifted to

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

incorporating other functional benefits into bread.
In March, Martek Biosciences and
Bimbo Bakeries USA, Fort Worth, Texas, teamed up to introduce Oroweat 9
Grain Bread, the first bread product
with life'sDHA, a patented, vegetarian form of DHA omega-3 fatty acid
for brain, eye and heart health.
But it was in September when the
possibilities of functional bread truly
came to the fore. Within the span of a
couple weeks, several of the nation's
largest baking companies launched
new bread lines featuring a range of
functional ingredients.
Kicking off the innovation, The
Kroger Co., Cincinnati, introduced a
new line of bread featuring the CoroWise Naturally Sourced Cholesterol
Reducer brand of plant sterols from
Minneapolis-based Cargill.
The following day, George Weston
Bakeries, Inc., Toronto, introduced
new Arnold and Brownberry bread
varieties featuring Heart Choice natural plant sterols from Cognis Nutrition & Health, La Grange, Ill. Plant
sterols have been shown to reduce
cholesterol.
Grains & More Double Oat Hearty
Oatmeal bread was formulated to
promote heart health and contains 0.4
grams of Cognis' Heart Choice plant
sterols.
But George Weston Bakeries wasn't
finished. The next week, the company
announced it had launched Arnold
Grains & More Double Omega bread.
Each two-slice serving of the bread
contains 50 mg of the MEG-3 brand
of omega-3 EPA/DHA fatty acids
supplied by Ocean Nutrition Canada
Ltd., Dartmouth, N.S. MEG-3 has been
linked to research supporting cardiovascular health, healthy brain function
and overall good health. In addition
to MEG-3, the Grains & More Double
Omega bread contains 20 grams of
whole grains per slice and is considered
a good source of fiber and protein.

Just this month Ocean Nutrition
was back in the headlines with the announcement its MEG-3 would be added to a re-launched Allied Bakeries
bread brand called Kingsmill 50/50
with Omega 3.
Bimbo Bakeries, which was at the
head of the omega-3 fatty acids movement with its launch of Oroweat 9

Mrs Baird's Acti-Fiber wheat bread is one
of the first mainstream bread products to
include prebiotics.

Grain Bread, assumed a similar position with prebiotics thanks to its late
September debut of Acti-Fiber Wheat
bread.
Prebiotics have been making headlines throughout the food and beverage industry for longer than a year, but
it was Bimbo's launch of the bread under the Mrs Baird's brand that brought
prebiotic bread to mainstream supermarkets in Texas.
Mrs Baird's Acti-Fiber Wheat is a
prebiotic bread that aids in digestive
health. According to Bimbo, the bread
has a prebiotic fiber, derived from
chicory root, which promotes the
growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive system. In addition, each twoslice serving of the bread contains 160
calories, 8 grams of whole grains, 4
grams of dietary fiber, 2.5 grams of
fat and 5 grams of protein.
While others have been baking
Milling & Baking News

December 30, 2008 / 21

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Milling & Baking News - December 30, 2008

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