Milling & Baking News - February 22, 2005 - 25

BREAD

product

great initial success with this variety. Like many bakers, however,
the company has seen demand
for these products slump.
In a Feb. 4 conference
call, George E. Deese,
president and chief
executive officer,
called the company's Wheat 'n
Fiber bread "viable," but added,
"I certainly do
not see growth
going
forward
on the low-carb
products."
This view of low-carbohydrate products
could hardly be more different than that
expressed a year ago when baking companies were rushing low-carbohydrate baked
foods to market.
On the success of its Wheat 'n Fiber
bread, Flowers rolled out additional lowcarbohydrate entries under the Nature's
Own Healthline sub-brand - White 'n Fiber bread, Multigrain bread, Wheat 'n Fiber
sandwich rolls, Wheat 'n Fiber hot dog buns
and Wheat 'n Fiber dinner rolls.
All of the new products now have been
withdrawn except for the Wheat 'n Fiber
bread and buns, Ms. Anderson said.
"Demand for these products was affected by the waning enthusiasm in lowcarb products," she said. "However, there
continues to be interest in our Wheat 'n
Fiber bread and buns, so we have kept them
in our line-up. The market we are reaching
with these items appears to be composed
of those consumers who cannot eat bread
because of specific health reasons, such as
diabetes."
Flowers' other experiences over the past
year were far more favorable, including better success in the white bread market than
category averages.
"While the U.S. white bread market has
been in decline overall," Ms. Anderson said,
"our white bread sales have held up."
Ultimately, white bread demand may
see further erosion because of the emphasis
given to whole grains, Ms. Anderson said.
This shift will become evident two, three or
four years out as consumers increasingly
understand the benefits of whole grains and
recognize the whole grains options they
have, she said.
Still, there is a place for white bread in the
market, she pointed out.
"White breads may not offer whole grain
benefits, but they are enriched with B vitamins and folic acid and can be part of a
healthy diet," she said. "The challenge for
the baking industry is to help people understand that."
Beyond the white bread market, 2004 was

22 / Milling & Baking News, February 22, 2005

perspective

BREAD

a good one for Flowers,
Ms. Anderson said.
"Nature's
Own
had a very good
year," she said. "We
supported the brand
in certain markets,
and those efforts paid
off. Nature's Own is
our top brand. We will
continue to support it as
appropriate."
Asked specifically about
other recently introduced
Flowers varieties, Ms. Anderson said its Wheat 'n Soy
has not caught on as quickly
as had been hoped. Similarly, a
super premium white bread variety also
has moved a little slowly.
"Wheat 'n Soy is not doing as well as
some of our other newer varieties," she
said. "We might have been a little ahead of
the curve on this one. Soy offers health benefits for both men and women, but is still
unfamiliar to many consumers. It's coming
along, but slowly. As for our Cobblestone
Country White, we know it tastes good,
but it's competing on a bread aisle with an
almost overwhelming number of choices
for consumers." Other new varieties introduced under the Cobblestone Mill brand -
crunchy oatmeal, and the sugar free - have
done quite well, meeting the company's
expectations. Another success has been the
company's Honey 7 Grain offered under the
Nature's Own brand.
"We have had more successful new product launches than not over the past year or
so," she said. "In our business, consumers
tell you pretty quickly whether or not you
have a winner."

Looking to build on a strong legacy
No company has a stronger whole grains
legacy than Roman Meal Co., but that
hasn't stopped the Tacoma, Wash.based company from taking a variety
of steps to reenergize its business,
which was built on its Roman Meal multigrain variety.
Overall trends for whole grains are very
positive, said Mary Jane Hominda, vicepresident
of
brand management.
"Whole grain
bread sales are
up 12% over the
past year," Ms.
Hominda said.
"Demand definitely is shifting
to whole grains
and
whole
wheat. It seems

product

perspective

that the low-carb craze had a silver lining
for those who make whole grain bread. In
the consumer's mind, first carbs were bad,
but with the influence of the South Beach
diet, there was a recognition that some
carbs are good. Whole grains are good
carbs. Consumers are focusing on health
and wellness, and whole grain bread demand is rising."
Simply having whole grain bread is not
enough to fully tap into current tastes, Ms.
Hominda said. Added fiber has been incorporated into certain Roman Meal varieties.
Another new choice with texture different
from the heritage Roman Meal has been introduced for those who don't think "softer
is better."
"Roman Meal has tended to be a soft
bread," she said. "We now have a hardier
version. We are making sure that the format
meets the trend."
Certain changes Roman Meal is making
reflects a shift in the population toward
greater awareness of health and wellness issues. Other changes are due to new or ongoing differences in taste preferences by geography. Ms. Hominda said demand for wide
pan bread tends to be especially strong on
the West coast for making sandwiches.
Roman Meal also has changed its packaging. In addition to giving its bread a more
up-to-date look, whole grain has been given
greater emphasis on the gusset consumers
see in the supermarket.
"For the previous several years, the emphasis had been on calcium as an important
benefit," Ms. Hominda said. "The calcium is
still in the product, but the package emphasis is now on whole grains.
"We're also looking at the trends and
asking, what additional features are people
looking for. We're experimenting and testing
other variations.
Do they want
vitamin D? Do

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Milling & Baking News - February 22, 2005

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