Healthy biscuit category helps to increase sales of manufacturers

The biscuit category with healthy appeal has helped companies in the segment to increase sales this year. Although still small participation, this trend is the bet of the companies to extend the gains of the sector in the coming years.
"The Healthfulness is a strong trend in the food industry, but the progress over the next few years will depend on the income growth of the population, since these products are more expensive," says the President of the Brazilian Association of cookies, pasta and breads & Cakes (Abimapi) Industrial, Claudio Zanão.
In Mondelez, sales of biscuits brands belVita Club Social and have boosted the performance of the entire category. "The growth of the health segment has been the highlight positive, along with Oreo, showing an advance of higher added value", detailing the marketing manager of fortune cookies Mondelez, Eduardo Lemos.
The Executive claims that the investment in innovation has helped the company to keep the heated sales this year, despite the less favourable economic scenario. "We realize that price is not a determining factor in the category, then bet on news to stimulate demand". The company recorded high of 1.0 percentage point in sales by volume of healthy biscuits in the country in the first half, helped by belVita.
Zanão, Abimapi, confirms that the launch of new products and packaging formats are the main strategies of the manufacturers in the industry. "The segment of biscuits is very dependent on innovation, because the consumer always wants something new, he's the one who determines the demand from retailers," comments.
The Arcor also hopes to boost sales with new products on the shelves. "Our sales today are stable front last year, but we have great expectations for the end of year with the releases that reach the market this semester," the marketing manager of the company's biscuits, Anderson Freire.
According to him, part of the new products follow the trend of healthiness, one of the fastest growing categories in the national market.
"We have significant growth in the category, which should help in performance this year. But how many products are still coming to market, the result appears even in 2016, "he says.
The demand of category, remember the Executive, has helped to offset the downturn in other segments, such as tarts, who presented this year retraction.
"The biscuits segment as a whole has managed to keep sales and healthy products can help. But the biggest industry gain still comes to a lesser value, whose demand increases in times of crisis, as an alternative to the cookie value, "says Zanão.
The expectation of the leader is the thread end the year with sales in 2014 or lines with a maximum advance of 1% in volume.