DuPont Nutrition & Health has pinpointed sugar reduction as the top health priority in a survey of consumer attitudes towards sweet baked goods in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. 

The survey further revealed that biscuits, cookies, cakes and croissants are popular snacks in the three countries. As such, they are widely consumed at all times of day.

Growth markets in the Middle East and Africa are of particular interest to the sweet bakery industry. According to Innova Market Insights, 57% of new bakery launches come from the sweet segment, strongly led by biscuits and cookies.

“Women are the main decision-makers who choose which sweet bakery products to buy. They are also the consumers who are most concerned about health, especially the health of children and family members with a diet-related condition, such as type two diabetes. Sugar reduction is a key element in that,” said Lena Hamann, bakery marketing manager at DuPont Nutrition & Health.

Conducted in cooperation with the global market research organisation GfK, the DuPont consumer survey focused on young professional men and women and mothers with children. All participants were aged 24 to 45. 

“Our findings show the impact of demographic change and changing attitudes in these markets. While sales of healthier baked goods are still very small in the markets surveyed, we can see there is a growing interest in health among certain consumer groups. This represents an emerging opportunity for bakery manufacturers,” said Hamann.

The DuPont bakery application team has developed a series of sweet bakery concepts for the Middle East and Africa. These include a chocolate muffin with caramel filling, chocolate chip cookie and chewy chocolate peanut cake – all with 30-40% less added sugar than a standard recipe and a fibre claim.

A soft croissant concept has also been developed with a new all-in-one tailored blend – GRINDSTED POWERBake 401 – that is said to ensure at least 28 days of just-baked freshness on the shelf. The croissant recipe is suitable for a sweet or savoury filling.

“Consumer preferences vary a lot from market to market. One of our strengths is our ability to adjust recipes to local market tastes. The feedback from our survey has given us important insights for future, market-specific concept development,” said Jan Charles Hansen, principal bakery application specialist at DuPont Nutrition & Health.