Garlic Bread on Rise at Retail Stores; Lender's, Sara Lee Roll New Bagels.

Cheesy garlic bread and bigger bagels that are baked off at home are among the retail trends spotted in USA. The big bucks, however, lie in the foodservice sector where more and more operators are relying on frozen products.

Freezer cases in USA supermarkets were "hot" with new bread

According to statistics published by the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based National Frozen Food Association in its 1998 year-end report, frozen bread manufacturers rang up a 15.5% increase in dollar sales on volume of $175.4 million. That's a lot of dough and a lot of garlic.

William Burke, an executive at Mamma Bella's in Baldwin Park, California (Phone: 1-626-338-3000), says that good taste is the primary reason that consumers are coming back for more garlic bread. His company, which uses only natural ingredients, bakes up a variety of items that are convenient and quick to prepare.

Burke told Quick Frozen Foods International that many people serve garlic bread with pizza. It's easy to pick up both products in one trip to the supermarket, where they are generally placed near each other in the freezer case. "Frozen garlic bread adds an authentic taste to traditional Italian meals, without putting consumers to the trouble of making it from scratch," he said.

Scott Devon of Cole's Quality Foods, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan (Phone: 1-616-975-0081), reported that single-servings and pre-sliced products are popular with today's time-pressed consumers. To tap that market, Cole's new Texas Toast comes in 10 oz. (284g) packs of six that are plate-ready in just six minutes. There's no more need to bake off an entire loaf or guess what a single or double serving size is.

Several manufacturers are adding cheese to their traditional products. Among them is Pepperidge Farm, Inc. of Norwalk, Connecticut (Phone: 1-203-846-7165), which recently came out with an 11.75 oz. (333g) loaf of Mozzarella and Garlic Cheese Bread. Meanwhile, Columbus, Ohio-based New York Frozen Foods has "cheesed up" its Texas Garlic Toast. Garlic bread sticks (six per 9 oz. bag) are also offered.

Though garlic bread is a relatively simple product to make at home, convenience assures brisk sales of frozen versions. Manufacturers report that though freezer space in supermarkets is at a premium, the high profit margins of frozen baked goods in general and bread products in particular assures them a place.