As the world of baking begins to look more alike in trends, one issue is getting bigger: food thrown away uneaten. “Bread is one of the most-wasted products out there,” said London-based Lamine Lahouasnia, Euromonitor International’s head of packaged food. “People will buy a loaf and not finish it, discarding what’s left because it is stale.

“Growing concerns over food wastage are making consumers reconsider multi-buy offers, which the entire baked goods category is relatively reliant on,” he added. Portion control has a lot of appeal. The “little big loaf” was born to fit the needs of smaller-sized households across many European markets, he added.

Limitation and prevention of food waste got spotlight consideration at this year’s annual meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists. The issue was explored on World Food Day, Oct. 16, sponsored by the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization.