Big in Japan: Japanese Bakery Snack Innovation Could Influence Western Markets
Western companies looking for inspiration in new bakery snack product formats could find it in Japan, as the Land of the Rising Sun leads in global launches of bread and sweet bakery products.
By Chris Brockman, Research Manager, Food and Drink – EMEA region, Mintel
There are still many bakery snack product formats and flavors in Japan and the wider Asian market that have not been seen in the west to any great degree.
Grupo Bimbo’s UK business the New York Bakery Co. launched a new range of individually wrapped Soft Pretzel Knots in the UK in September 2015 as part of a drive to extend beyond the bagel range it is known for. The snack, available in Original, Sweet Cinnamon, or Cheddar & Red Onion flavors, was heralded by the company as “the world’s first ambient packaged soft pretzel”.
Such snacks are likely to appeal to the convenience-seeking, snacking mentality of millennial consumers. Interest in individually wrapped baked goods for an on-the-go snack in the UK peaks among 16-24 year olds (34% interested) and 25-34 year olds (30% interested), according to Bread and Baked Goods – UK, September 2014.
The New York Bakery Co. intends to follow the pretzels with annual NPD focusing on products associated with New York that either don’t exist in the UK or don’t have a successful branded presence in the country. However, the company and other Western producers could find more inspiration along the themes of bakery snacks by looking the other way, to Asia, and especially Japan.
Japan is an innovative bakery snack market
Japan is a highly innovative bakery market. In the last 12 months, Japan has accounted for a 13% share of all bread and sweet bakery products launched globally, more than double the share of the next country, France. The vast majority of the launches in Japan are individually wrapped bakery snacks, many of which are sold through Japan’s highly developed convenience retail channel.
You can read more in the latest issue of our print magazine Asia Pacific Baker (Autumn).