Healthy bread is becoming more popular with 30 percent increase in demand in whole wheat bread alone in the past three years and sales of sandwiches are growing faster on the back of a growing health-conscious Filipino consumers, bakers said.
Henry Ah, honorary president of the Filipino-Chinese Bakery Association Inc. (FCBAI), told reporters at the opening of Bakery Fair Philippines 2013 at the World Trade Center that demand for healthy bread is growing 10 percent annually in the past three years.
As a result, bakers have responded by cooking up healthy bread such as whole wheat bread, high fiber, no chemicals added, less additives, no sugar added bread products.
“We are using more natural ingredients like we use raisin or apple to ferment yeast. Before we use food coloring but now it is more on natural ingredients,” he added.
Demand for sandwiches alone among the fast food sector is growing exponentially. “They are selling more sandwiches than chicken,” Ah said, whose Kilpatricks Corp. is also big on serving bread for the fast food sector. These institutional clients include Burger, KFC, Brother’s and Smokeys.
These stores are not using the regular burger buns but more of the Ciabatta bread.
Prices, however, for healthy breads are higher by 10 percent compared to the ordinary breads but Ah said these breads cater mostly to the upper end of the market.
In fact, he said, consumption in the upper end of the market has increased but the low-end market has decreased as more Filipino prefer rice, which is more economical, for breakfast instead of bread.
FCBAI is composed of over 100 medium-sized bakeries mostly from the National Capital Region. Its members account for 25 percent, excluding biscuits producers, of total 1.2 million metric ton annual flour consumption in the country.
Ah said that profitability in the bakery business suffers because of the high overhead costs. It is also difficult to manage because they operate even on weekends and work starts very early in the morning. Ah noted that the Filipino-Chinese community has somehow cornered the bakery business because the government used to ban them from entering into the rice business, which has been reserved for the pure Filipinos. The association was formally established in 1983 formed.
This year’s Bakery Fair, which is already on its 7th year, has also seen unprecedented growth with 165 exhibitors participating and more than 400 booths showcasing bakery products, baking implements and equipment.
