Food Trends – Sourdough, snacks and soya cream

Traditional recipes, healthy and sustainable food, but also
light snacks – consumers’ demands are becoming increasingly ­complex. The baking industry is responding with creative ideas.

A surprising statistic was recently broadcast on the French evening news. The French are apparently happily consuming cream cakes and nougat creams right now, despite other­wise cutting back on luxuries. Their attitude is: So what? We need to allow ourselves a treat in the face of all the doom and gloom. On the German side of the River Rhine, there is still little demand for sugary treats, at least not in Patrick Zimmer’s bakery. “I’ve noticed a decline in interest in fruit loaves and sweet rolls,” says the bread sommelier and master baker, who runs a family business in the town of Kall-Sistig in the Eifel region. This is due to a growing awareness of the importance of healthy, low-sugar food. “The nutritional and physiological value of foods is playing a greater role,” says Zimmer.

His experience is in line with the findings of trend researchers. The success of the Net­flix documentary “Hack Your Health” shows that wholesome and high-quality foods are currently striking a chord with consumers. The show explains why a healthy gut is beneficial for our well-being. And nutrition-conscious influencers like Stomach Doc are also attracting large numbers of followers on social media. This trend is good news for artisan bakers like Zimmer. The bread sommelier from the Eifel region is convinced of the ben­efits of baking exclusively with well-matured sourdough. It promotes good health because the fermentation releases more minerals and trace elements. An added benefit is that it gives the bread a particularly intensive flavour.

Fermentation gives up its mysteries

Exactly which bacteria and microorganisms lie dormant in sourdough was a mystery for a long time. In the meantime, however, scientists have identified them – and triggered a minor revolution as a result. “This has prompted the industry to source the strains of microorganisms it needs to create a read­i­ly reproducible recipe,” says food technologist Riccardo Satta from CEPI, explaining the significance of this scientific breakthrough. The Italian company has developed bulk handling systems for the industrial production of sourdough.

A desire for local and authentic products

Sourdough bread is not only easily digestible, but also arouses positive emotions. Consumers associate it with the healthier products of yesteryear and with local authenticity – values that are gaining in importance in response to the ongoing crises and uncertainties. And local produce also means greater transparency. “People want to know who is behind the food and what it contains,” says Zimmer. That’s why he regularly organises bread and gourmet evenings. “We look at food pairing, at what complements the bread and how healthy it is.”

Meike Bretschneider, Managing Director of the Mahlzahn wholemeal bakery, also knows how to score points with ­locally sourced produce. “Our customers love the fact that we grind our own flour every day,” she says. The organic bakery with five branches in Heidelberg was founded back in 1982 and is one of the pioneers of the wholemeal movement, which has been given a further boost by the current trend towards healthy eating. Mahlzahn sources the grain and many other ingredients such as sunflower seeds from the local area.

Tradition 2.0 – a willingness to experiment

“We are currently seeing a trend towards sustainable and local ingredients,” says Georg Schulze, Sales Manager at oven manufacturer DEBAG in Bautzen. He sees a rationale for setting up trend baking stations in bakeries in order to meet the growing demands of customers. These could be used to produce different goods on a seasonal, experimental and daily basis. “This keeps the product range up-to-date and allows bakers to respond directly to the needs of modern consumers.” DEBAG’s new production ovens with AI-supported assistance systems for the artisan sector are designed to help bakers respond flexibly to new trends.

Tradition 2.0 does not mean slavishly copying historical methods. Knut Köhler, Managing Director of Schäfer industrial bakery, a subsidiary of Edeka Minden-Hannover, has ­observed how customers are open to new interpretations of classics, original flavours and baked goods styles. “Appearance is also gaining in importance,” he adds. “There is strong demand for creative and unusual decorations for sweet baked goods.” Dubai slices and velvet cake are examples of how Schäfer’s is orientating itself towards social ­media trends.

Successful merging of the bakery and food service sectors

For breakfast, as a light snack, at lunchtime or in the evening – filled rolls are back on the menu in Germany. In a survey, 30 per cent said they are turning to sandwiches or rolls because eating out has become too expensive for them. These savoury snacks are also served in the Mahlzahn branch in the Heidelberg Old Town and are selling like hotcakes. “Our customers work nearby and are looking for a healthy lunchtime snack,” explains Bretschneider. The wholemeal bakery has therefore expanded its range in this segment to include filled rolls and a French quiche.

But any business which decides to follow this trend also needs to change its structures. “It is important to move away from seeing the shop just as a salesroom towards adopting a comprehensive food service approach,” says ­Alexandra Mehl, project manager at the Würzburg software company e2n. Her colleague, Sales Manager Philipp Weppert, adds: “At the branch management conference, I discovered that bakeries are looking to shift their focus more and more towards food service. They bake the bread rolls anyway, so why not turn the business into a burger shop, for example?”

It requires additional logistical effort if the employees have to juggle serving the soup of the day at lunchtime with making meal packs including Leberkäse, falafel and sandwiches for companies. e2n supports bakeries looking to ­introduce innovative concepts by offering digital tools for cross-store, turnover-based personnel planning.

Even meat-eaters like vegan cake

According to a survey by the Allensbach opinion research institute, there were 1.47 million vegans living in Germany in 2024. This represents around two per cent of the population. The number is down slightly on the previous year. Across Europe, the Irish, Danes, Norwegians and Swedes are the most likely to forego meat. The proportion of vegans in these countries lies at four per cent. Baked goods that contain no eggs, dairy products, honey or gelatine are in vogue everywhere. “It’s no longer just the vegan bubble you reach – there are plenty of non-vegans who enjoy these recipes, too.” says Anna Fronek. The master confectioner and baker explains in home-baking videos on Instagram and TikTok how to make vegan cakes and tarts. “Many people think that vegan baking is really difficult. But with the basic knowledge that I learned during my training, I realised you don’t have to change much to veganise recipes,’ assures the influencer, who gave up animal-based foods when she started working in a vegan café. In addition to pea, lentil and ­almond-based creams, she swears by soya milk as an egg substitute. It has the highest protein content of all plant-based drinks and contains lecithin, a good emulsifier.

And what does the future hold? It is now possible to ana­lyse digital consumer data with the help of semantic AI technology, making it easier to predict new food trends. It is also instructive to watch what is happening abroad. In Chile, for example, traditional seaweed harvesters on the coast are now supplying the top restaurants in the capital Santiago. Nutritionists believe that snacks made from algae flour could revolutionise the food market. Roberto Lemus from the University of Chile said in a television interview that 3D printing could help this highly nutritious product take on more attrac­tive forms and become more popular. Perhaps the next superfood after chia seeds, goji berries and quinoa?

Astrid Möslinger

Americans like it swicy 

According to management consultants
Baumann + Whiteman, Americans’ favourite new taste is “swicy”. This combines sweet and spicy flavours. There is also a trend towards unusual gourmet snacks. The classic American hoagie, an elongated, lavishly filled  brioche, has had its day, especially among the young foodie crowd which is keen to experiment. There is now growing demand for focaccias made with ingredients from the deli counter such as truffle cream, fig jam or pecorino cream.

Tip: Eric Dell, President and CEO of the American Bakers Association (ABA), is presenting the latest data on US consumers and their purchasing power at iba.