There is huge demand for premium fast food products such as brioche and pretzel buns, the national accounts manager of foodservice brand Kara, owned by Fletchers the Bakers, claimed.
“The key trend for us at the moment continues to be the premiumisation of products,” Malcolm Reid said.
“Brioche buns have been huge over the last 18 months, tying in with the upmarket fast food trend that has come over from America. They’re now really hot on pretzel-style buns, which have been boiled, not baked.
‘Big going forward’
“That’s what we’re predicting will be big going forward, and it’s about showing our customers how the products fit in with their existing products and menus.”
Frozen seafood manufacturer Pacific West claimed sharing portions and platters could cater to consumer demand and help reduce cost and preparation time for caterers.
“Sharing platters are massive at the moment; caterers just don’t have the space to be storing products that only apply to one dish or one starter,” the firm’s regional development manager Nick Baker said.
“There needs to be flexibility, which these sort of products have. They can be used as an individual dish, as part of one or more main meals or on sharing platters alongside similar sized products.
Joe Murphy, senior national accounts manager for canned food manufacturer Martin Mathew & Co, said: “Street food and pop-up food stalls are bang on trend at the moment. Elsewhere, South American is doing well, for example Peruvian and Argentinian.
“Mexican cuisine is also still gathering pace – I’ve recently been working with a leading convenience food retailer on a new Mexican wrap.”
Predictions that pizza was falling in popularity were untrue, Murphy added.
Unstoppable
“Year on year we hear that pizza is going to drop off a cliff, but it just seems unstoppable. Woodfired pizzas are still going strong and are pretty much available everywhere, and I just can’t see the trend ending any time soon.”
Suncream Dairies boss Rebecca Manfredi said there was a gap in the market for a mid-range gelato, following the success of both economy and premium deserts.
“People don’t want to go out for dinner and have something that they could have at home, so I don’t see brands that are available in supermarkets as being a serious competitor in this market,” she claimed.
“I think what they’re looking for is a quality product above the basic range that they can’t get in shops.”
All of the food producers supply Fairway Foodservice and provided comment exclusively for FoodManufacture.co.uk.
Fairway’s other suppliers include Mars, Unilever, Princes and Cuisine Wine.