What will the future of baking look like?
One of the areas we looked at during Conference 2021, was what our student members think the future baking industry might look like and what the biggest changes might be in the next few years. Here are the results from our online poll, including what it might mean for the future. We think its really interesting reading, as its bakery students that will be leading the way in many different positions in the baking industry in a number of different roles in the future.
Q1. MOst important bakery issues over next 5 years?
So to kick it off, we asked students what they felt the most important issues for bakers to tackle over the next 5 years were. Sustainability and health was the most popular choice and highlighted as topics that students feel will be the most important in the shorter term.
Raw material sustainability was the third most important, including the supply chain from field to fork which affects a great many parts of the baking industry, including raw material suppliers and bakeries alike. Finally, recyclable packaging came in fourth overall. Sustainability and health have been discussed considerably over the past year and not just within the food industry. It will be interesting to see what impact these have on the baking industry as a whole over the next few years and how both bakery students about to start work and the baking industry as a whole will overcome the challenges on health and sustainability.
Raw material sustainability was the third most important, including the supply chain from field to fork which affects a great many parts of the baking industry, including raw material suppliers and bakeries alike. Finally, recyclable packaging came in fourth overall. Sustainability and health have been discussed considerably over the past year and not just within the food industry. It will be interesting to see what impact these have on the baking industry as a whole over the next few years and how both bakery students about to start work and the baking industry as a whole will overcome the challenges on health and sustainability.
Q2. what policies will have the most impact on obesity?
Our second question put to students was one on Government policy regarding obesity. We were interested to know what students felt would be the measures most likely to help in reducing obesity in the UK. The most popular answer was consumer education, ensuring that the public were more aware about the importance of a balanced diet and occasional treats.
The second most popular answer was a reduction in fat and sugar, involving product reformulation to reduce these in baked products such as bread, cake and biscuits. This is something that has been happening in the baking industry over the past few years, but it is likely that it will continue well into the future. Another reason this is relevant is because it will be vital to the baking industry to have bakers who understand the science behind ingredients and recipes, so that bakery products can be healthier, but still taste great too!
Third was packaging and labelling, which bakery students felt could be improved further with all products clearly stating the calories per serving and ensuring that consumers can find this information easily, and that it is easy to understand as well.
Last but not least, our bakery students felt that size reduction in order to reduce the serving size of products was not something that the baking industry would choose to do. Although making products smaller might seem like the easy option, our students felt this was least likely to happen compared to the other choices.
The second most popular answer was a reduction in fat and sugar, involving product reformulation to reduce these in baked products such as bread, cake and biscuits. This is something that has been happening in the baking industry over the past few years, but it is likely that it will continue well into the future. Another reason this is relevant is because it will be vital to the baking industry to have bakers who understand the science behind ingredients and recipes, so that bakery products can be healthier, but still taste great too!
Third was packaging and labelling, which bakery students felt could be improved further with all products clearly stating the calories per serving and ensuring that consumers can find this information easily, and that it is easy to understand as well.
Last but not least, our bakery students felt that size reduction in order to reduce the serving size of products was not something that the baking industry would choose to do. Although making products smaller might seem like the easy option, our students felt this was least likely to happen compared to the other choices.
q3. How will clean label be best embraced by industry?
Question 3 was all about "clean label" and how this might be achieved in the baking industry without increasing waste. In general, most bakery products can be produced "clean label" however this will generally end up in a reduced shelf life. In some cases, that isn't an issue. A craft bakery may where products produced are eaten the same day might not need to add additional ingredients.
However, in order to achieve longer shelf life, some products may not be clean label. In general, most of our students feel that packaging would make that greatest impact in this area. There are some great innovations in packaging to help in the area, and it will be interesting to see how this evolves over the next few years.
Second was portion size with 31% of the vote. Reducing the portion size may help to reduce waste and result in consumers being able to buy less, but more often. Finally, the use of novel ingredients recieved 19% of the vote. Novel ingredients are raw materials that are not normally used, but do have benefits for shelf life. Again, an interesting area where there is always interesting research into different benefits of foods that wouldn't normally be used in baked goods.
However, in order to achieve longer shelf life, some products may not be clean label. In general, most of our students feel that packaging would make that greatest impact in this area. There are some great innovations in packaging to help in the area, and it will be interesting to see how this evolves over the next few years.
Second was portion size with 31% of the vote. Reducing the portion size may help to reduce waste and result in consumers being able to buy less, but more often. Finally, the use of novel ingredients recieved 19% of the vote. Novel ingredients are raw materials that are not normally used, but do have benefits for shelf life. Again, an interesting area where there is always interesting research into different benefits of foods that wouldn't normally be used in baked goods.
q4. Where would you like to be in 5 years time?
We always find this is an interesting question to ask bakery students. The most popular answer with 30% of the vote was for New Product Development which is interesting based on the previous questions. New Product Development is a very interesting role and would encompass all areas on sustainability, product redevelopment and packaging within it. Developing new products that are healthier and more sustainable sounds like something that will be very important over the next few years.
Managing, whether it is their own business or within a bakery was something that our bakery students were also keen to progress to, with each one receiving 20% of the vote. Finally, with 10% of the vote, some students would also like to travel and work in bakeries in other countries to not only develop different skills, but also see other cultures.
Managing, whether it is their own business or within a bakery was something that our bakery students were also keen to progress to, with each one receiving 20% of the vote. Finally, with 10% of the vote, some students would also like to travel and work in bakeries in other countries to not only develop different skills, but also see other cultures.
q5. where would you like to be in 10 years time?
Our final question looked a little longer into the future, and asked bakery students where they see themselves in 10 years time. The majority, with 55% of the vote would like to teach the next generation of bakers. 27% of students see themselves engaging with celebrity to promote their brand, which is something that is becoming more popular with food companies over the past few years and likely to grow.
With 18% of the vote, students also suggested they may be more involved with government policies, aiming to influence the policy makers and make them aware of the challenges facing the baking industry. Finally, with 0% of the vote, it appears that none of our students wanted the role of ABST President! The role is challenging, although very worthwhile to help support the future bakers promote skills and understanding, which is important to ensure that the UK baking industry has the skills required for all of the above different career paths.
With 18% of the vote, students also suggested they may be more involved with government policies, aiming to influence the policy makers and make them aware of the challenges facing the baking industry. Finally, with 0% of the vote, it appears that none of our students wanted the role of ABST President! The role is challenging, although very worthwhile to help support the future bakers promote skills and understanding, which is important to ensure that the UK baking industry has the skills required for all of the above different career paths.
Summary
We hope you found the above interesting and useful. As you can see the future of the baking industry in the UK is in safe hands, with students looking to pursue careers in lots of different areas and excited to develop sustainable and healthier products for consumers in the UK. We are very much looking forward to Conference 2022 to see if anything has changed, and of course will keep you updated.