As the holidays approach, shoppers are returning to the in-store bakery to purchase such baked goods as pies.
You don’t need a pie chart to know that the market for baked goods, including pies, pastries and desserts, comprises more and narrower slices, thanks to consumers’ splintering preferences and tastes. On one hand, the perennial craving for satisfaction and nostalgia for tradition keep category stalwarts on the shelf. On the other hand, the equally reliable quest for something different fuels the development of products that align with current trends and circumstances.
Baked goods as a slice of modern life? Just maybe.
Having Dessert, and Eating It, Too
“Permissible indulgence” has been a buzzed-about term over the past few years, and it isn’t an oxymoron: Consumers are seeking to balance their desire to stay in bounds with diet and health while also being able to enjoy sweets.
Health is definitely on the minds of many consumers as they survey the sweet baked goods landscape in grocery stores. A recent survey from Euromonitor International showed that just about half — 50.8% — of consumers describe their diets as “healthy” or “extremely healthy,” up 7.2% from pre-pandemic 2019. Other research, from Mintel, shows that 69% of consumers want snacks that balance health and taste, including items in the dessert category.
Permissible indulgence means different things to different consumers, of course. For some, being able to enjoy things like pies, pastries and desserts means having smaller portions. Downsizing desserts can involve eating smaller slices and pieces, but it also includes the consumption of diminutive products that provide built-in portion control and also offer a bit of the “cute factor” in merchandising.
There are a lot of these littler items in the pie, pastry and dessert categories. Products like two-bite brownies or one-bite cream puffs have been available for years, for example.
In keeping with trends in foodservice and on social media sites like Pinterest, small desserts served in jars have made their way to grocery stores. Jar Joy Desserts now offers a line of multilayered desserts packaged in 4-ounce jars described as stackable and transportable, with a longer shelf life than traditional baked foods. Varieties include Key Lime Pie, Peanut Butter Fudge Pie, Coco Loco Caramel and Mississippi Mud, among other cheesecake flavors. Another example comes from the U.K.-based Pots & Co., which is planning to expand its reach in the United States with indulgent desserts baked in ceramic pots.
The Thomas brand, from Bimbo Bakeries USA, has its own fresh take on itty-bitty indulgences. The brand, known for its English muffins, recently added new chocolatey mini croissants billed as a snack or a permissibly indulgent morning meal.
In addition to branded products, in-store bakeries also offer tinier portions of indulgent desserts for shoppers who want “just a taste.” Products like mini muffins, mini cupcakes, individual pies and bite-sized brownies have long been perimeter staples.
Not content with the status quo, however, in-store bakeries are upping their game in this area. Publix Super Markets, for example, offers a line of petite decadent desserts that are hand-decorated in-store daily; shoppers can choose from mini fresh fruit tarts, petit fours and chocolate-covered strawberries.
For other consumers, having permission to enjoy sweets means buying products made with better-for-you ingredients or those that fit their particular dietary needs.
One case in point: Although baked goods are known (and loved) for their inherent sweetness, a swath of the population is seeking to cut down on sugar, for medical or wellness reasons. According to Euromonitor’s health survey, 37.4% of consumers said that they look for products with limited sugar or no added sugar, a modest 2% increase from the previous year. Lower-sugar pies, pastries and desserts aren’t new, but consumers can now choose from among more varieties at their local store.
Grocers that want to offer choices to shoppers following keto or other low-carb eating plans can add some of those kinds of baked goods and desserts to their assortments as well. The Diamond of California brand, for example, offers a line of low-carb ready-to-use pie crusts made with nuts, including a newer chocolate nut pie crust.
There’s also been a bump in free-from baked goods in these categories. Shoppers following gluten-free or -restricted diets can opt for products like Raised Gluten Free’s line of savory pies or Ethel’s Baking Co.’s gluten-free dessert bars, among several other items.
Vegan products are encroaching in these segments as well. Raised Gluten Free, for its part, also offers a Vegan Quiche made with organic tofu and spinach. On the sweet side, the Just Desserts brand includes a vegan chocolate-dipped vanilla Bundt cake, and natural food grocer Fresh Thyme Market sells its own brand of vegan pumpkin pie.