The bread eaters have spoken, and they want smaller portions. The Wall Street Journal reports that bakers are responding to new data about American bread preferences and designing smaller products: half loaves, more thinly sliced.
Why would consumers prefer less of something delicious?
After decades of campaigns against food waste by environmentalists, consumers are finally beginning to worry about throwing out stale bread.
According to a survey by the American Bakers Association, 75% of Generation Z and millennial consumers (ages 18 to 41) surveyed don’t enjoy putting bread in the trash can (our team is actively investigating the other 25%). More than half said they would buy more bread if there were smaller options.
Dietary concerns about calories, carbs, and gluten have also contributed to demand for smaller loaves. And interest in smaller bread is strong among people who live alone — a demographic that has begun to wield major power over other markets, including those for large appliances and paper goods.
It turns out that people are weird when it comes to bread
Here are some other curious, generational bread stats:
- 27% (!) of younger millennials freeze their bread (the highest percentage of any generation).
- 65% of Gen X-ers store their bread at room temperature, meaning Gen X also has the highest percentage of normal human beings.