Ferré & Consulting Blog (English Version)

The three top reasons for buying a particular bread brand are consistent quality, health, and value for money, according to a Novozymes consumer survey which investigated the habits of 3794 consumers in the UK, France, German and Sweden.

Novozymes last year launched a new Novomyl enzyme for bread quality called Novamyl Pro, a maltogenic amylase preparations which works by breaking down the starch to provide longer-lasting crumb softness, elasticity and moistness.

It decided to conduct the survey with the Retail Institute of Scandinavia in order to gain deeper insights into what motivates choice. The findings were shared at a summit on future trends and sustainability in the bakery sector earlier this year.

The survey covered wholemeal bread, toast/sandwich bread, rye bread, and soft buns and rolls. It included topics from brand choice and bread type, to whether consumers squeeze bread before they buy, and the length of time they use the bread after purchase.

“Some of the survey results were truly fascinating. The fact that 70 per cent of all bread consumers can be influenced at the point of purchase highlights just how important the look and feel of the final product is,” said Pål Ladsten, regional marketing Manager at Novozymes.

Overall 37 per cent of consumers said they bought the same 2 or 3 brands, while 25 per cent bought the bread that looked the most inviting, 18 per cent bought the store’s own brand, and 16 per cent bought one specific brand.

In 85 per cent of households in all four countries less than 10 per cent of bread (all types) was thrown away, but when it was the most common reasin was that it was mouldy (34 per cent), followed by dry (24 per cent), and hard (19 per cent).

Bakery, Ingredients Novomyl enzyme, Novozymes

Novozymes has announced that it has obtained Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC 22000) for a wide range of its enzymes targeting bakery and other food sectors.

The supplier said that its food manufacturer customers are seeking evidence of documented safety to ensure that the quality of their products can be proved, and it maintains that the FSSC 22000 enables that level of assurance and transparency about a certified third party’s products.

The new standard combines the ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety Management standard with the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 220:2008 and other additional requirements.

Developed by major branded food manufacturers as an alternative to retailer-backed schemes such as the BRC (British Retail Consortium) global standard, FSSC 22000 secured full approval from standards benchmarking body the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) in February.

GFSI aims to improve cost efficiency throughout the food supply chain through the common acceptance of its recognised standards by retailers around the world.

Novozymes said the GFSI concept of once certified – approved everywhere ensures the appeal of the standard and director of quality at the supplier, Marie-Anne Bie Fryeendahl, told BakeryandSnacks.com that it chose this particular certification option as it fits in with Novozymes business model and is in line with its customer’s expectations:

“The trigger for the certification move was requests from bakery and other food sectors for GFSI backing of our food safety management system. It was not a time consuming process, as we already had most requirements of the standard already in place.”

She explained that the FSC 22000 auditing procedure took five days and she said this was due to the fact that Novozymes has been continually honing its management system and had already included definitions and guidelines for operators in relation to each step of the manufacturing process from raw materials to transport and equipment.

Moreover, the system, said Bie Fryeendahld, is easily accessible by employees at every level to ensure efficiency and quality at each step of manufacture.

And she stressed that the whole food supply chain benefits from having a small range of acknowledged standards, where the individual supplier can adopt the standard best suited to its way of working.

Novozymes, under the scheme, will be subject to an annual surveillance audit.

Companies FSSC 22000, Novozymes