Key Business Outlooks For 2025: Thomas Lesaffre, President of Fedima
As detailed in our recently approved Work Programme, we will advocate for clear and consistent regulations across Europe, innovation-friendly policies, and sustainability-focused solutions. To achieve this, we will prioritise proactively engaging with policymakers, fostering collaboration across the bakery value chain, and supporting our members in adopting sustainable growth practices.
As detailed in our recently approved Work Programme, we will advocate for clear and consistent regulations across Europe, innovation-friendly policies, and sustainability-focused solutions. To achieve this, we will prioritise proactively engaging with policymakers, fostering collaboration across the bakery value chain, and supporting our members in adopting sustainable growth practices.
As we step into 2025, the baking industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by shifting consumer preferences, sustainability demands, and technological advancements. To gain a clearer picture of what lies ahead, we spoke with industry leaders, from large-scale manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and technology innovators to professional associations that push the industry’s objectives on the public agenda.
In this special section, experts share their perspectives on the biggest trends shaping the market—from the growing demand for clean-label and plant-based products to innovations in precision fermentation, upcycled ingredients, and AI-driven production processes. They discuss how economic pressures, supply chain challenges, and sustainability goals are reshaping business strategies and what opportunities lie ahead for bakeries of all sizes.
Will 2025 be the year of functional baked goods? How will automation and digitalization continue to transform operations? And what role will climate-conscious sourcing play in consumer decision-making? Our panel of industry insiders weighs in on these critical questions, offering valuable insights to help businesses navigate the evolving landscape.
Read on for exclusive interviews with the visionaries shaping the future of baking.
Thomas Lesaffre, President of Fedima
Considering market volatility, supply chain disruptions, energy costs, and workforce challenges, how would you assess Fedima members’ performance over the past year?
Geopolitical uncertainties at the European Union’s border, rising energy costs, and workforce shortages tested the resilience of bakery ingredients manufacturing businesses. Despite these hurdles, our industry has shown remarkable adaptability, continuing the growth trend of recent years. Over the last year, Fedima companies achieved a 4.5% increase in turnover, reaching approximately EUR7bn, and expanded their workforce by 3.4%, now representing an estimated 27,000 direct employees across Europe.
What are your expectations and top priorities for 2025, considering the lingering impacts of 2024 and the evolving market dynamics?
Despite lingering challenges and evolving regulatory requirements, the European bakery industry is poised for growth, driven by consumer demand for nutritious, sustainable, and diverse products. Building on the lessons and progress of 2024, Fedima’s main focus and priority for 2025 remains supporting our members in tackling existing obstacles and building a resilient and competitive bakery and pastry industry that meets consumer expectations and needs, all while maintaining high product quality and ensuring compliance with regulations.
As detailed in our recently approved Work Programme, we will advocate for clear and consistent regulations across Europe, innovation-friendly policies, and sustainability-focused solutions. To achieve this, we will prioritise proactively engaging with policymakers, fostering collaboration across the bakery value chain, and supporting our members in adopting sustainable growth practices.
What unexpected developments occurred in 2024, and how did they influence your association’s operations or strategies?
Not as much unexpected as pivotal for the work of the association were last June’s European elections, which determined an entire new set of policymakers entering Brussels with new ideas, priorities and objectives, ready to regulate the food sector. As the representative body of the European manufacturers and suppliers of bakery ingredients vis-à-vis this new policymaking force, we worked closely with our members and partners to seize this opportunity and raise our visibility as an expert voice and active interlocutor in shaping the European food policy landscape.
Looking ahead to the next five years, what is your vision for the industry, and how is Fedima positioning itself to shape and contribute to its future growth?
In our recently published Fedima Manifesto for the 2024-2029 EU Policy Cycle we put forward our wishlist for the next five years. Aimed at European policymakers, but also relevant in our members’ national geographies, our manifesto outlines critical priorities and policy asks for a thriving baking sector.