What’s the hot button in the baking and snack industries? It’s the non-G.M.O. movement.
Dozens of bakers and snack producers at the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association’s 50th Annual Seminar & Expo in Denver promoted their products as organic and containing no bioengineered organisms. Does that mean that consumers really understand what G.M.O.s are? Not necessarily, but the topic is gaining traction.
“Consumers have a superficial knowledge of G.M.O.s right now, but they definitely want to know more about it,” said Laurie Demeritt, chief executive officer, The Hartman Group. Specifically, she told I.D.D.B.A. attendees, consumers want to know what G.M.O.s are, whether they are in the foods they purchase and how G.M.O.s might affect the health and the wellness of their families.
Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst and vice-president, The NPD Group, observed that more than half of Americans are concerned about G.M.O.s.
“This is coming. You can’t avoid it,” he said. Mr. Balzer also suggested that interest in gluten-free dieting has waned. Although his data show some 30% of consumers are still trying to cut back or avoid gluten, Mr. Balzer indicated that the movement peaked and has been declining in recent months. That prompted him to note, “I think this one is over.”
Maybe not, but it’s food for thought.