Speaking to BakeryandSnacks.com at IBIE 2013, director of commercial insights at ConAgra Mills David Sheluga said that bread consumption leveled off about a decade ago and since then has been on a downwards slump.
“It’s been a riches to rags story,” he said.
The magnitude of this trend is huge, he said, and driven by a number of factors including population changes and people’s perception on white bread.
“Every good story requires a villain, a victim and a hero and in this case white flour, white bread are portrayed as villains and for the last decade or so we’ve seen a steady drum beat of negativism toward white bread and white flour,” he said.
However, industry does have hope in whole grains, he said, and should use this to strengthen the sector.