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US Packaged Bread Market Report 2025

US Packaged Bread Market Report 2025

Market Intelligence Reports Bread, Bakery and Cakes US

US Packaged Bread Market Analysis

Historically, from 2019 to 2023, the Packaged Bread Market saw consistent expansion, driven by inflation and rising consumer demand for affordable at-home meal solutions. However, in 2024, growth began to stabilize as inflationary pressures cooled, setting a slower but steady growth trajectory. The Packaged Bread Market Size is forecasted to grow in 2025, with a long-term forecast of further growth in the foreseeable future. This forecast suggests a more gradual increase in sales, driven by continued consumer demand amidst economic uncertainty, although inflation’s influence on price hikes will remain a key factor. Observations indicate that while the bread aisle remains a dominant purchase location, younger generations are diversifying their shopping habits, seeking greater variety, freshness, and transparency in bread products.

US Packaged Bread Market Trends

Consumer trends in the US Packaged Bread Market reveal a shift towards greater variety, health-conscious choices, and ingredient transparency. Younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are increasingly moving away from the traditional bread aisle, opting for more diverse bread formats, such as sourdough, gluten-free, and international varieties, often from in-store bakeries or the frozen section. Health-conscious consumers are prioritizing breads with specific nutritional benefits, like digestive support or organic ingredients, and expressing a strong interest in products that offer transparency regarding ingredient sourcing and processing. Additionally, there is a growing demand for bread that fits various dietary preferences, such as high-protein, low-carb, and gluten-free options, signaling a shift towards more specialized and intentional bread choices. The trend towards home baking has also been reinforced by these generations’ desire for authenticity and freshness in their bread purchases.

Purchasing the US Packaged Bread Market Report 2025 offers insights into shifting consumer preferences, with younger generations favoring innovative, health-focused breads like gluten-free and organic options, while older consumers prioritize traditional, budget-friendly choices. The report also highlights the growing demand for ingredient transparency and sustainability, driving the Packaged Bread Market toward more personalized and ethical products.

About The Report

The US Packaged Bread Market Report 2025 provides comprehensive insights into the evolving trends, consumer preferences, and market dynamics within the bread industry. It covers key areas such as consumer purchasing behavior, the demand for health-conscious and specialty breads, ingredient transparency, sustainability trends, and the impact of economic factors on bread consumption. The research surveys consumer attitudes, bread purchase locations, consumption patterns across generations, and brand performance, offering actionable data for market segmentation, innovation, and forecasting. This Packaged Bread Market Report is valuable for industry stakeholders such as bread manufacturers, retailers, marketers, and investors, helping them navigate the changing landscape and make informed strategic decisions to tap into the growing consumer demand for healthier, more sustainable bread options.

Key Topics Analyzed in the Report

Bread purchase locations, packaged bread purchase details, and packaged bread purchase types
Associations with specific types of bread
Changes in bread purchasing, reasons for purchasing bread more often, and reasons for purchasing bread less often
Interest in bread formats, flavors and ingredients
Attitudes toward bread
Packaged bread innovation and marketing strategies

Report Attributes	Details
Published Date	June 2025
Data Range	2019-2029
Measurement Metrics	Revenue in US $
Country Focus	United States of America (USA)
Consumer Data	2,000 internet users aged 18+, March 2025
Number of Pages	83
Market Segmentation	Sliced Bread Loaves, Hot Dog/Hamburger Buns, Tortillas/Taco Shells, Sandwich Buns, Bagels/Bialys, English Muffins, Packaged Rolls, Fresh Non-Sliced Bread Loaves, Sandwich Wraps/Flatbreads, Pita/Pocket Bread, Soft Bread Sticks, and Naan
Leading Companies	Grupo Bimbo, Flowers Foods Inc, Gruma, Campbell Soup Company, King’s Hawaiian Holding Co Inc, Olé Mexican Foods Inc, Lewis Bakeries Inc, Lancaster Colony Corporation, Private Label, St. Pierre, Nature’s Own, Dave’s Killer Bread, Pepperidge Farm, San Luis Sourdough, Arnold Brownberry, The Rustik Oven, Bimbo, Wonder, Canyon Bakehouse, Sunbeam, Mrs. Baird’s, Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe Inc, Big Marty’s, Joseph’s, Sola, Aunt Millie’s, El Milagro, La Providencia, Pepsico Inc, Siete, Taco Bell, Cole’s Quality Foods Inc, FGF Brands Inc, Stonefire, and Krusteaz.

Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis

This report was written by Kelsey Girard. Kelsey joined Mintel in 2022 as a US Food and Drink Analyst. Kelsey uses her expertise to identify changing consumer behavior, industry trends, and innovation across packaged food and drink categories. Kelsey has a B.A. in Nutrition with a concentration in Food Studies and Business from the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota.

Bread’s longstanding role as a grocery staple persists, now unlocking a new age of consumers who are seeking modern solutions that deliver variety, reliability and transparency.

Kelsey Girard
Senior Food & Drink Analyst

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market size & forecast
- Market predictions
- What consumers want and why
- Opportunities
- Modernize in-aisle purchasing
- Graph 1: bread purchase locations, 2025
- Raise a more robust identity on top of budget-friendly foundation
- Graph 2: associations with different types of bread, 2025
- Bread’s future is bright with younger gens
- Graph 3: change in bread purchasing habits, by generation, 2025
- Transparency and guidance will shine even brighter
- Graph 4: attitudes toward bread, NET – any agree, by generation, 2025
MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market context
- Market drivers
- Perception of financial health faces headwinds
- Graph 5: trended household confidence – financial health, March 2020-April 2025
- Anxious times: consumers’ concerns are wide ranging and strong
- Graph 6: consumer level of concern on certain topics, 2025
- What’s going on with gluten
- UC Davis develops wheat seed varieties that delete specific proteins attributed to immune reactions
- Market size and forecast
- Bread’s rise in recent years expected to steady alongside cooling inflation
- Retail sales and forecast of packaged bread
- Retail sales and forecast of packaged bread, at current prices
- Retail sales and forecast of packaged bread, at inflation-adjusted prices
- Market segmentation
- Evolving bread preferences spill into segment performance
- Graph 7: total retail sales ($ millions) of packaged bread, by segment, at current prices, 2024
- Segment shifts in market share and dollar sales growth
- Retail sales of packaged bread, by segment
- Market share/brand share
- Some leading companies rise while others dip, lending to near even market growth
- Sales of packaged bread, by company
- Fresh loaf bread slips, with certain growth spurts signals of opportunity spaces
- Sales of fresh loaf bread, by company
- Most leading rolls/buns/croissants companies and brands kept growth positive
- Sales of rolls/buns/croissants, by company
- Bagels/bialys/English muffins/pita bread segment concentration creates challenges, emerging brands suggest points of differentiation
- Sales of bagels/bialys/English muffins/pita bread, by company
- Tortilla growth bolstered by Olé Mexican Foods Inc and private Label
- Sales of tortillas, by company
- Steady sales growth of refrigerated/frozen bread products, while others are steady or heating up
- Sales of refrigerated/frozen bread products, by company
CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Consumer fast facts
- Bread purchase locations
- Bread is a near universal experience
- Bread aisle loses some appeal with younger generations and parents
- Graph 8: bread purchase locations, by generation, 2025
- Graph 9: bread purchase locations, by parental status, 2025
- Expand in aisle’s cultural inclusion
- Graph 10: bread purchase locations, by Hispanic origin, 2025
- Packaged bread consumption
- Don’t settle on versatility alone as specific and specialty increasingly resonates
- Graph 11: packaged bread (ie prepared bread from the aisle) consumption, 2025
- Modern generational habits may shake up packaged bread choices
- Graph 12: packaged bread consumption, by generation, 2025
- Variety for the family will shape generations to come
- Graph 13: packaged bread consumption, by parental status by gender, 2025
- Bread types consumed
- Modernizing profiles: flavor and nutrition diversify bread type choices
- Graph 14: types of bread consumed, 2025
- More space in bread repertoire, yet growing gap for wheat and multigrain
- Graph 15: types of bread consumed, by generation, 2025
- Be mindful of bread cultural inclusivity within conversations around variety, assortment and usage
- Graph 16: types of bread consumed, by race or ethnicity, 2025
- Associations with specific types of bread
- Build identities on top of budget-friendly foundations
- Graph 17: associations with different types of bread, 2025
- Defining bread’s new age of “healthy”
- Graph 18: associations with specific types of bread as being healthy, by generation, 2025
- Bread can deliver both mundane, more reliable solutions and inspiration to shake things up
- Graph 19: associations with specific types of bread as being budget friendly, by financial situation, 2025
- Changes in bread purchasing
- Demographics shape dynamic bread habits
- Bread is on the rise with younger gens, making space for in-aisle solutions to step up
- Graph 20: change in bread purchasing habits, by generation, 2025
- Purchase variety and frequency requires more room in already squeezed budgets
- Graph 21: change in bread purchasing habits, by financial situation, 2025
- Reasons for purchasing bread more often
- Lean into bread as the trustworthy solution
- Graph 22: reasons for purchasing packaged bread more often than last year, 2025
- Increased purchasing happening more naturally for Gen Z and Millennials
- Graph 23: reasons for purchasing packaged bread more often than last year, by generation, 2025
- Support varying levels of exploration and excitement
- Graph 24: reasons for purchasing packaged bread more often than last year, by financial situation, 2025
- Reasons for purchasing bread less often
- Consumers cutting down on bread open up innovation pockets
- Graph 25: reasons for purchasing packaged bread less often than last year, 2025
- Millennials motivated by carbohydrate variety, curiosity, and kids
- Graph 26: reasons for purchasing packaged bread less often than last year, by generation, 2025
- Graph 27: reasons for purchasing packaged bread less often than last year, by parental status, 2025
- Different ingredients can provide dietary diversity without leaving the category
- Interest in bread format innovation
- Showcase shelf life adaptability
- Graph 28: interest in packaged bread format concepts, 2025
- Format innovation must have a purpose, even for more-explorative consumers
- Graph 29: interest in packaged bread format concepts, by generation, 2025
- Sharpen value propositions of smaller formats to capture more obvious households
- Graph 30: interest in packaged bread format concepts, by household size, 2025
- Spotlight on smaller format products and positioning
- Interest in bread flavor and ingredient innovation
- Keep versatility top of mind with any flavor or ingredient innovation
- Graph 31: interest in packaged bread flavor and ingredient concepts, 2025
- Support the occasional impulse bread buy, especially for women
- Graph 32: interest in packaged bread flavor and ingredient concepts, by gender, 2025
- Younger gens redefine a “better” bread
- Graph 33: interest in packaged bread flavor and ingredient concepts, by generation, 2025
- Attitudes toward bread
- Packaged bread is a core staple to diets, yet curiosities exist
- Graph 34: attitudes toward bread, NET – agree, 2025
- Bread’s value equation resonates with Gen Z and Millennials…
- Graph 35: attitudes toward bread, NET – any agree, by generation, 2025
- …yet guidance and transparency leave room for improvement
- Graph 36: attitudes toward bread, NET – any agree, by generation, 2025
INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Launch activity and innovation
- Private label launches see ups and downs in the past five years
- Graph 37: bread and bread products launches, by private label status, 2020-24
- Bread’s presence in cultures and cuisines around the world can build bridges while expanding the category
- Modern digestive support
- Seasonal bread can capitalize on sweet and savory special occasions
- Fitting flavors that elevate the gastronomic experience
- Organic ingredients as one piece of the premium puzzle
- Marketing and advertising
- Coyotas reminds that quality matters on the outside, too
- Natures Own takes sandwich creativity in new directions
APPENDIX
- Market definition
- Market Size Methodology
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast fan chart methodology
- US: total retail sales and forecast of fresh loaf bread, at current prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of fresh loaf bread, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of rolls/buns/croissants, at current prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of rolls/buns/croissants, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of bagels/bialys/english muffins/pita bread, at current prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of bagels/bialys/english muffins/pita bread, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of tortillas, at current prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of tortillas, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of refrigerated/frozen bread products, at current prices, 2019-29
- US: total retail sales and forecast of refrigerated/frozen bread products, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2019-29

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