Consumers are driving food formulations: dietary restrictions, desires, and priorities inspire brands to remove, displace, and add ingredients to align with evolving consumer demands. While the clean label discussion has focused largely on the removal of less-than-desirable ingredients in recent years, adding nutrients, like calcium, is another way that both foodservice and packaged food brands bring value to their customers and differentiate themselves.
When fortified with calcium, baked goods can serve as ideal delivery systems for the bone-building nutrient, without any negative impact on texture or taste. Here are a few of the consumer segments for whom calcium-fortified baked goods hold great appeal:
Conscientious Convenience
Whether packing lunches or jetting from piano lessons to baseball practice, parents seek convenient ways to deliver key nutrients, like calcium, in their families’ foods. Foodservice brands offering on-the-go grub and CPG brands gracing the bread aisle each have an opportunity to deliver good and excellent levels of calcium in their bakery items. Subway, for instance, has long incorporated calcium into its bread, delivering a glass-of-milk level of calcium in each 6-inch sub roll, and Sara Lee® Soft & Smooth® White made with Whole Grain Bread delivers an excellent level of calcium—25% daily value—in just two slices. Even hot dog, bratwurst, and hamburger buns can provide a good source of calcium.
Deliberately Dairy-Free
While dairy has a long-held reputation for delivering daily calcium requirements, increasing awareness of allergens, growing intolerances, and voluntary avoidance leave people seeking other sources of calcium. According to the National Institute of Health, approximately “30 million adults have some degree of lactose intolerance by age 20.” Incorporating calcium in non-dairy formats, like these calcium-fortified tortillas, provides a friendly delivery system for those with dairy-free or reduced dairy diets.
Bone-Health Conscious
Per the National Osteoporosis Foundation, “when we don’t get enough calcium for our body’s needs, it is taken from our bones.” And while seniors are often recognized as an audience seeking bone-health benefits, athletes, parents, and women are also increasingly aware of the importance of calcium. When fortified with calcium, baked goods, including breads, bagels, and English muffins, can serve as ideal delivery systems for the bone-building nutrient, with the capacity to incorporate calcium without any negative impact to the texture or taste.
As with any value-adding attribute, effectively communicating the benefit is a critical component to driving consumer awareness—and demand. Incorporating claims on packaging and in promotions is key in communicating calcium levels and benefits to consumers.
To incorporate calcium into your baked goods, including fresh and shelf-stable sandwich rolls, breads, tortillas, flatbreads, muffins, bagels, and more, get in touch with Delavau Food Partners.