With price competition between discounters and traditional supermarkets continuing to increase, this has driven down the cost of bread products to consumers; however, the value of the market is expected to continue to grow in 2016 with improved usage of speciality bread and morning goods among NI and RoI consumers.

Moving forward, increasing concern over the sugar and salt content of bread and baked goods will see healthier-minded consumers seek products that claim to have lower levels of these ingredients and likely will drive innovation within the category.

This report examines the retail market for bread products in both NI and RoI, focusing on bread bought through retailers for use at home or for packed lunches, etc. Bread/bread products bought via foodservice channels are not examined in this report.

For the purposes of this report bread includes:

• Traditional loaves – white, brown and wholemeal, which may be sliced or unsliced, wrapped or unwrapped. Part-baked products are also included.

• White bread – this is made from flour, which contains only the endosperm, or the central section of the grain (about 75% of the wholegrain).

• Wholemeal bread – this is made from the whole of the wheat grain with nothing removed. This is primarily a brown bread, although it can also be white.

• Brown bread – this is made from flour from which some bran and wheat germ have been removed and represents about 85% of the wholegrain.

• Speciality bread – For the purposes of this report, the speciality bread market is taken to include: baguettes/sticks, pittas, wraps, chapattis, naan breads, paninis, garlic bread (brown, seeded and white), ciabatta, focaccia, soda farls and potato bread.

• Morning goods – For the purpose of this Report, morning goods include: bagels, brioche loaves and rolls, croissants, crumpets, English muffins, fruit loaves, hot cross buns, malt loaves and pain au chocolat.

Please note items excluded from this Report: Pizza bases, Swiss rolls, cakes/cake bars and biscuits.