Arla Foods Ingredients has developed a high-protein Snack Cake solution that will enable bakery companies to capitalise on the “snackification” of meal occasions, which Arla has said “is redefining how people eat”.
The new solution has been designed an on-the-go alternative to a regular meal, containing up to 10% whey protein and 200mg of calcium in a 21g serving, which equates to just 100 calories. The recipe is also egg-free, “helping bakers to control costs and overcome the supply chain difficulties sometimes associated with eggs,” Arla said.
It is also lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than other cakes and, from a technical perspective, is straightforward to manufacture with high score values for structure, moistness, stability and shelf life. The Aarhus-headquartered company expects the product to appeal to two key demographics in particular: children and millennials.
John Kjaer, global sales manager for bakery at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “Most snacks are designed to satisfy a hunger craving rather than provide essential nutrients, which means people who snack in place of a traditional meal could be leaving a gap in their diet. Our Snack Cake solution represents an example of a product that can help address this. It meets all the usual criteria for a great snack – it’s convenient and indulgent. But, in addition, it delivers important nutrients, ensuring it is on-trend and attractive to modern consumers.”
The company cited research from Nielsen, showing that as many as 45% of consumers regularly consume a snack as a meal – 52% of these do so at breakfast, and 43% at lunch – as evidence for the snackification trend.
Kjaer continued: “Millennials and parents of young children are two groups for whom snackification is becoming more and more relevant, but they also tend to be very health-conscious, and prefer to choose snacks they consider to be ‘guilt-free’. By offering these demanding consumers cake snacking products that deliver all the qualities they are seeking – taste, convenience and nutrition – bakery companies can turn the snackification trend into a major commercial success.”
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