THESE are momentous days for sliced bread, at least in France. The land of the long crusty baguette boasts more artisanal bakers supplying freshly cooked loaves than any other country in Europe, says the International Association of Plant Bakers. Yet sales of pre-cut bread, wrapped in cellophane and twist-tied with plastic fasteners, are booming.
The market in packaged bread in France is now worth over €500m ($ 560m) a year, says Xerfi, a consultancy. In mid-June the country’s biggest industrial bakery opened in Chateauroux, with a surface area equivalent to six soccer pitches. Owned by Barilla, an Italian food group, the bakery will churn out 160m packets of sliced bread a year, almost exclusively for the French market. Last year sales of Harrys, its leading sliced-bread brand, reached 125,000 tonnes, up by 25% on 2007. Jacquet, a rival French baker, offers 18 different varieties of pre-packaged slices.
Why are the French suddenly so keen on sliced bread? Partly because of its long-lasting convenience at a time of squeezed lifestyles. Nothing beats a freshly baked baguette, but it is best eaten within hours of leaving the oven. France…
The Economist: Europe
