Bakery innovation picked up modestly in 2023 with US new product launches up just under 2% compared to 2022, per Innova Market Insights.

Specifically, 2023 was a solid year for cookies and bread with launches up 6% and 5%, respectively. New cakes, pastry and sweet good introductions also were in the plus column, up 2.7% for the year. Baking ingredients and mixes posted a 1.6% decline in launches while cracker introductions dipped 4.8% in 2023.

Health Meets Hearth

Health and indulgence trends drove gains in bread with artisan, keto-friendly, and added-protein products proliferating.

Charting a course for full artisan flavor were new offerings from Bimbo Bakeries, Flowers Foods and others. Bimbo, Horsham, Pa., extended its west coast Rustik Oven line with Sliced Sourdough Sandwich Loaves. Bimbo also took its Thomas’ English muffins brand into new territory with a Thomas’ Croissant Bread. Likewise, Flowers, Thomasville, Ga., extended its Nature's Own Perfectly Crafted brand with a new Artisan Style Everything Bun.

Health figured heavily in many more new options. After making a foodservice debut, EQUII, San Leandro, Calif., went retail last fall with Complete Protein protein Plain and Multigrain breads at Expo East 2023. EQUII's breads contain 10g of complete protein per slice and each slice contains all nine essential amino acids in the correct ratio. Later, in December, the brand came back with two varieties of EQUII Complete Protein and Added Fiber breads (Premium Classic Wheat + Fiber and Premium Multi-Grain + Fiber). They deliver 4g of dietary fiber per slice as well as 8g of complete protein. 

Last October saw Bimbo bolster its Arnold, Brownberry and Oroweat brands with two new Grains Almighty functional options: Gut Balance and Plant Protein. Gut Balance features whole grains, gut-fortifying prebiotic fiber and a touch of sprouted grains in every loaf. It features flax, honey, barley and sunflower seeds and each two-slice serving delivers 29g of whole grains and 7g of fiber. The Plant Protein option has sprouted whole grains, chickpea flour and pea protein for 9g of protein, 19g of whole grains and 5g of fiber in every two-slice serving.

Playing off avocados’ health halo, Anthony & Sons Bakery, Denville, N.J., created “The Avocado Bread Company and its first product, an Avocado Seeds & Grains Bread. It’s made with ripe avocados, an original blend of guacamole spices and healthy grains including sunflower, oats, and cracked wheat. Related offerings include Avocado Seeds & Grains Dinner Rolls, Take & Bake Avocado Bread, and Avocado Seeds & Grains Ciabatta Buns.

Still more offerings addressed keto diets. Bimbo bolstered its Thomas’ brand with Everything Mini Bagels and the brand's first-ever keto product, Thomas' Keto Bagel Thins Bagels. Flowers also extended its Nature's Own brand with a new Keto Net One Loaf delivering just one net carb per slice. Last fall saw Mission Foods, Irving, Texas, extend its popular tortilla brand with three more offerings: Mission Carb Balance Flour Burrito-Sized Tortillas, Mission Carb Balance Fajita Chipotle Flour Tortillas, and Mission Zero Net Carbs Sriracha Ranch Tortillas

Also addressing specialty diets was natural channel frozen bread baker Base Culture, Clearwater, Fla. This February, it launched its first shelf-stable, gluten-free offering, Simply Bread, in three varieties: Classic Sandwich, Hint of Honey, and Super Seed. 

Trends to watch in 2024 include “oil free” with Simple Kneads Quinoa Power Grains Gluten Free Bread. Upcycled ingredient use is growing, highlighted by Kroger’s Simple Truth Upcycled Seeded Multigrain Bread with upcycled barley, wheat, and rye.

Cookies 

Big brand innovation was paced by Mondelez International, which made headline news with the May 2023 opening of a $50 million Global Research & Development (R&D) Innovation Center in Whippany, N.J. The facility includes pilot and scale-up capability for cookies, crackers and candy. Speaking of cookies, OREO started the year with “The Most Oreo” Cookies (with filling speckled with ground Oreos). And there’s been no looking back. Last summer, the brand teamed up with Nintendo to release limited-edition OREO x Super Mario cookies with 16 unique embossments including Super Mario characters and Power-ups. Once eagle-eyed fans noticed that Princess Peach was missing, OREO and Nintendo created special OREO cookies dipped in white fudge, covered in sprinkles and feature iconic images of Princess Peach and her castle. 

More new iterations have included limited-edition OREO Space Dunk cookies (partnered with spaceflight experience company Space Perspective) and OREO Gluten-Free Golden Cookies. Limited-edition OREO Black and White Cookie Creme Sandwich Cookies featured two Golden OREO vanilla wafers filled with side-by-side dark chocolate cake flavored creme and white cake flavored crème. 

More big names also were active. Ferrero North America extended its Keebler brand with new a Chips Deluxe Fudgy edition, holiday ELF Keebler Gingerbread Fudge Stripes and new Pretzel Pie Crusts. Interestingly, Ferrero also started out last year by extending its Nutella spread brand into cookies with Nutella Biscuits.

Speaking of spreads, Skippy peanut butter parent Hormel Foods Corp. partnered with Signature Wafer & Chocolate to create Skippy Peanut Butter Wafer Bars in three varieties, including Natural Peanut Butter Spread and Chocolate Fudge Wafer Bars, Creamy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Fudge Wafer Bars and Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly Coated Wafer Bars. Separately, Hormel teamed up with Girl Scouts of America for three new varieties of Skippy P.B. Bites with Girl Scout Cookie inspired flavors: Coconut Caramel, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Adventurefuls.

Lots of new entries targeted health. Just in time for the holidays, The Empowered Cookie, Oakland, Calif., extended its low-carb, diabetic cookie line with new Pumpkin Chai Ginger Molasses and Peppermint Double Chocolate Chunk varieties. All items are low-carb, high fiber, high protein, diabetic-friendly, blood sugar balancing, dairy-free and contain 7g of plant-based protein. This January saw digestive health specialist Enzymedica, Venice, Fla., branch into cookies with Fiber+ Cookies. They feature a proprietary probiotic, soluble corn fiber, and a prebiotic fiber.

Each two-cookie, 90 calorie serving delivers 5g of dietary fiber, along with clinically studied probiotics and prebiotics. Varieties are Harvest Oat and Blueberry. Canada’s Ozery Bakery, Vaughn, Ont., also branched into cookies with allergen-free and gluten-free SeedWise Soft Baked cookies. They’re made with flax, sunflower, and pumpkin seed flowers; are low in sugar with 4g of protein and just 1g of net carbs.

Also making a name for itself at grocery was New York City’s Milk Bar, the dessert company founded by award-winning chef Christina Tosi. Last year saw Milk Bar introduce two new cookie types: crunchies and ready-to-bake dough. Milk Bar crunchies are cookies made uniquely crispy and airy from puffed rice cereal inside. Crunchies launched in four flavors—Brown Butter Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Toast, Pretzel-y Chocolate Chip, and Vanilla Butter Crunch. General Mills produced the ready-to-bake cookie dough in flavors Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow and Fruity Cereal.

Another New York City name, natural cookie dough processor Sweet Loren’s, actually branched into cookies last November with new gluten-free Breakfast Biscuits that offer 19g of whole grains, 4g of protein, 3g of fiber, and five B vitamins in each serving. Conversely, Bimbo Bakeries took the legendary Entenmann’s sweet goods brand into the refrigerated cookie dough category with four offerings: Glazed Donut, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Brownie and Cinnamon Toffee.

Mix(ed) Results

Innovation in baking ingredients and mixes dipped in 2023.

General Mills’ Betty Crocker Batchables Cookie Mix takes dry baking mix out of the box and into a 28oz re-sealable plastic tub for flexibility. “When you are hosting a small family gathering or just want a few baked cookies for a snack, Betty Crocker Batchables gives you the option of making anywhere from four to 24 cookies per batch instead of a whole pan,” the company says. Also targeting precise proportions was DAVIS, Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., Davis, Calif. Last summer, it launched GoodWheat Quikcakes, a single-serve instant pancake, in three flavors – Buttermilk, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and Confetti.

Taking an interesting bakery ingredient approach was Pretzel Pete Inc., Hatboro, Pa. It used last summer’s Fancy Food Show to introduce Topzels Crushed Pretzel Toppings (6oz, 2lb bags) as seasoned toppings for ice creams, yogurt, oatmeal or even salads. Newly created BAK Foods produces the items in two initial flavors: Salted Caramel and Cinnamon Brown Sugar.

Top ice cream and confectionery brands landed in the baking mix aisle in 2023. General Mills introduced Betty Crocker Reese’s Puffs Peanut Butter Pancake Kit. Separately, General Mills partnered with ice cream maker Wells Enterprises to develop and introduce Halo Top Desserts, including Light Cake Mix Single-Serve Cups and Light Baking Mixes for fudge brownies and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Halo Top Light Cake Mix Single-Serve Cups come in three flavors–Chocolate, Strawberry and Birthday Cake—and contain only 170 calories per single-serve cup. Both the microwaveable cake mixes and baking mixes also have one-third fewer calories than the average leader in each category.

Protein-fortified mixes continue to move mainstream. Last summer saw Kodiak Cakes LLC, Park City, Utah, extend its namesake brand with Power Cakes Flapjack Quick Mix in a 6oz squeeze bottle. Consumers simply add water, shake and squeeze onto the griddle. Each serving has 100% whole grains and 15g of protein. PepsiCo’s Pearl Milling brand (formerly Aunt Jemima) also introduced Protein Buttermilk Complete Pancake and Waffle Mix with 15g of protein per serving.

Taking a “Climate Smart” approach is Snacktivist, a plant-based baking mixes company in Coeur d’alene, Idaho. The company emphasizes ingredients sourced through regenerative agriculture and last May it refreshed all packaging for its line.

New News in Crackers

Overall cracker new product launches sagged in 2023, but the category still produced interesting headlines as well as new offerings. The category’s biggest news involved Kellogg’s spin-off into two businesses, including Kellanova as parent to the Club cracker brand. Last August, it introduced Club x Butter Chardonnay Minis, infused with a creamy Butter Chardonnay by JaM Cellars. In December, Campbell Soup extended its Goldfish brand with new Goldfish Crisps, its first potato-based offering that’s baked, light and comes in three chip-inspired flavors: Sour Cream & Onion, Cheddar, and Salt & Vinegar. In other headlines, Our Home Foods, Boonton, N.J., expected this February to purchase the RW Garcia gluten-free cracker brand from Utz Brands Inc.

Many more processors targeted specialty diet interests including gluten free and organic. Simple Mills, Chicago, introduced Cheddar Pop Mmms Veggie Flour Baked Snack Crackers. The gluten-free crackers feature organic butternut squash as the first ingredient, organic red bean, and real organic cheddar cheese and deliver one-half cup of vegetables per serving. Our Home also extended its YOU NEED THIS plant-based snacks brand with gluten-free Almond Flour Crackers in two flavors: Sea Salt and Cheddar. Speaking of sea salt, Canada’s Dare Foods Ltd., Cambridge, Ont., said its gluten-free Breton crackers line added non-GMO project verification for two flavors: Flax & Sea Salt and Herb & Garlic. Gluten free seed cracker specialist, Ella’s Flats, Naples, Fla., extended with All Seed Savory Crisp line with a new Spicy flavor featuring red pepper. Elsewhere, Partake Foods, New York, N.Y., introduced Classic Graham Crackers that are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and free of the top nine allergens.

Emphasizing organic and sustainability was Los Angeles’ Redbud Brands, which repackaged its Cheddie’s Crackers brand last year. Cheddie’s is touted as a “first-of-its-kind” cheese snacking cracker made from 100% fresh, organic cheddar cheese sourced from regenerative farms. Also taking a more sustainable approach is Brewer’s Foods, Boston. Last June, it introduced Upcycled Pretzel Flatbread Crackers that incorporate upcycled spent grains from area craft breweries.

Tom Vierhile is Vice President, Strategic Insights, North America for the Netherlands-based Innova Market Insights and has more than 20 years of experience in new consumer packaged goods reporting and analysis. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from St. Bonaventure University and an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.  Follow him on Twitter at @TomVierhile.