The pastry world is ripe for change, as consumers seek out new products that demonstrate a company’s commitment to health and sustainability.

For instance, the United Soybean Board offers creative solutions and useful ideas for offering bakery customers delicious pastries that satisfy consumer demand. It is worth noting that soy is the only widely available complete plant protein comparable in quality to animal protein, according to the experts.

Richard Galloway, US Soy oils expert, explains that high oleic shortenings are workable over a much broader temperature range, one of its many benefits to bakers. By comparison, palm-based shortenings can vary from brittle to gooey, depending on the variable weather conditions where your bakery is located in the country.

“Consumers know when they bite into a croissant and it’s gooey, they know something is wrong,” he explains.

Another benefit of high oleic shortenings?

“The flavor is completely bland, so whatever you put in any recipe is what you are going to get out of the finished product,” Galloway says.

In a growing number of studies, US consumers express very positive preferences about soy.

“From a nutrition standpoint, soy is the perfect plant source,” he explains. “The trend of sustainability goes beyond farming practices. Now we have a shorter supply chain, and it’s a US grown product. The United Soybean Board does extensive consumer surveys, and 62% prefer made in the United States. The preference for soy is very strong.”

Sustainable business practices

Others are embracing new applications to present healthier options of pastries.

Europastry, is committed to using sustainable wheat and wants to lead the transformation of the baking sector to fight climate change by using 100% sustainable raw materials. The company aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 36%, its water consumption by 28% and its gas consumption by 8% by 2021. Its products are made with 100% natural ingredients and processes that use 100% green energy from renewable sources.

With 22 production plants and 26 sales offices the world, Europastry is currently present in more than 70 countries.

The company currently uses only electricity from renewable sources. It is worth noting that the company holds various sustainability certificates, such as the Organic Farming Certificate for the Bio range, and the UTZ cacao certificate for its chocolate for fillings and frostings.

According to leaders at Europastry, the future of food has to be sustainable to flight climate change. So, the company is implementing actions to transform the baking sector and make it even more sustainable. This is a sector in which sustainability is closely linked to good practices in the planting, growing and milling of grains (70% of the CO2 emissions come from wheat planting and growing). 

One of these is the commitment to using 100% sustainable flours. What does this mean? The implementation of good practices with local farmers, the use of certified seeds, reduced use of fertilizers, crop rotation and field-to-table traceability.

To identify the products made on this basis, Europastry has created the “Responsible Flours” seal. In fact, today the company is already harvesting 5,300 hectares under these principles, and is committed to expanding this to 20,000 hectares by 2025.  

“We want to be involved in the sustainable transformation of the planet and, to do so, we have set important targets for 2021: reducing our carbon footprint by 36%, water consumption by 28% and gas consumption by 8% with respect to this year,” explains Jordi Gallés, chief executive officer of Europastry. “All the actors in the food chain have to collaborate and do their part to ensure that the planet is inhabitable for our children. What will coming generations say about us if we go beyond the point of no return when we still have the means to avoid it? Together with our suppliers and customers, we want to lead this change.”