Asians increasingly going for daily bread & sweets as snacksBakery products are becoming convenient staples, and sweets are seen as affordable 憀uxuries?magazine_nr_type_id=2

ALL over the world, the market for bakery products around is confronted with serious changes and challenges, according to the organizers of "iba", which is among the most important international specialist trade fair for bakers and confectioners. In the traditional bread eating countries in Europe they find a change of assortments and a strong process of concentration while bread, small bakery products and fine baker's ware become more and more important in the traditional no-bread-nutrition-countries. In Asia, the number of people who are eating more bread on a daily basis ?particularly the taste of European styled bakery products ?is increasing. Peter Becker, president of the Association of German Bakery Trade, cites Viet Nam as one of the most promising bread markets. "When I visited Viet Nam in June, I saw that there is some readiness for more modern bakery technology," says Becker, whose association is of course actively participating in IBA. Confectionery production in Viet Nam was expected to double within the next four years, Becker adds. Based on his association's research, confectionery retail volume is expected to reach 476,000 tonnes with a total value of $674 million this year and to reach 706,000 tonnes and $1.45 billion. Investments in bakery and confectionery lines by Vietnamese companies are inevitable, he says. Becker was also impressed by the diversity and ingenuity of the bakery trade in South Korea. "You see this very plain buildings that you would never associate with bakery operations," he recounts, "and then once you enter, they are making diverse and interesting products ?all very creative, so it was very nice surprise." The world market for bakery products is part of globalization that he has seen while traveling in Asia to promote iba, he notes. "European breads are in the big cities, and just as maybe 40 or 50 years ago, we in Germany began learning about other European breads like the croissant, the ciabatta and the baguette, more Asian consumers are learning about the different types of breads," Becker explains. This internationalization of the markets of baking goods is reflected in iba 2009, where over half of nearly 1,000 exhibitors come from abroad. Convenience is also driving the market for breads. "People no longer bake as much at home, and they do not always buy their bread at the local baker. Today you find breads, cakes and snacks like sandwiches in supermarkets and convenience stores, and these are eaten more and more outside the home," Becker points out. iba 2009 in D黶seldorf (October 3 to 9) offers a perfect survey of all these developments, and opens up the "whole world of bakers for the bakers of the whole world." Just as the market for snacks overlaps bakery products, analysts find that confectionery items are also growing as on-the-go items. The candy market is undergoing a radical shift from sugar-based to low-carb and diet products. Rising health consciousness among consumers has fostered sales of healthy and nutritional candy products across the world, and functional and healthy organic candy is expected to drive growth in the world candy market*.

Sweet and low-cost 'luxury'

Growth in the world candy market is driven largely by global trends in snacking in addition to huge untapped opportunities in burgeoning eastern markets. Consumer lifestyles, eating habits, and demographic factors represent other major factors influencing sales. Developing nations are also expected to perform splendidly with stronger growth rates that outpace growth in industrialized economies. The trend towards "Westernization" is a major factor driving the popularity of chocolates and candies in these countries. Candy, once considered a "value" product, has attained the status of a staple snack across the world. On the other hand, macroeconomic factors and consumer incomesAir Max 1 Master