Something is shifting in food. You can feel it.
The shelves look the same, but the money is moving.
Big names like Nestlé, PepsiCo, Heinz, General Mills, Kraft, the ones who once filled the world with cookies, snacks, and drinks, are changing course. They’re pulling back from basic food as margins disappear and private labels offer a same or better quality, Also vegan, plant-based and sustainability are no longer the claims that make people want to change their consumption behaviour. They’re betting on a new era of food. One that is about health, longevity, and function.
The world is starting to eating differently.
We will eat less. The new weight-loss drugs that started as medical treatments are now in millions of homes. They cut appetite and with it, the volume of food we buy. Snack and bakery sales are already dropping 5 to 10 percent in households using them. And as more companies are starting to produce these drugs, the impact will more and more become real.
At the same time, we’re getting older. By 2030, one in five people in Europe and North America will be over 65. That’s millions of people who still want to enjoy pastry, but who care about cholesterol, allergens, and keeping their bodies strong. They don’t want to give up pleasure; they just want it to fit their life.
And then there’s Gen Z.
They read every label. They look for authenticity, not marketing. They don’t trust “vegan” or “sustainable” if it feels like a logo. They want food that’s clean, clear, and good, not “good for you,” just good.
Together, these three forces, the shrinking appetite, the ageing population, and the rise of mindful youth will reshape what indulgence means in the years to come.
For pastry, this is huge.
The butter that built the craft now creates barriers: cost swings, allergens, cholesterol, and ESG headaches. Margarine solved none of that; it only made bakers hide their ingredients. Plant-based was supposed to be the answer, but it turned into another crowded label.
What’s next?
We believe it’s a new kind of indulgence.
Smaller, cleaner, purer, yet still rich and emotional.
Pastry that celebrates flavour, not fat.
Ingredients that serve the craft, not define it.
At Be Better, we’ve watched this change unfold from inside the kitchen. Chefs and industrial bakers across Europe tell us the same thing: the recipes still need to work, but the story behind them has to evolve. The fats we use must not only perform, they must also fit a new era of health and transparency.
That’s why we built Be Better the way we did: no lactose, no cholesterol, no allergens, no hydrogenated fats, no palm, and a clean label that reads like food, not chemistry.
A butter alternative that lets pastry be pure again as its neutral appearance and taste will highlight, not block, the bright colours and fine aromas of the core ingredients, like chocolate, fruits and spices.
What is means for you as a baker? Smaller portions, higher quality, fewer ingredients, clearer claims. Not because of regulation, but because it feels right.
In-store, it means a new tone: less shouting, more honesty.
Labels that say “No lactose, no cholesterol, pure in taste.”
Signs that talk about craft, not claims.
Pastry that invites everyone, not just the vegan, the young, or the fit, but everyone who loves taste and trust.
So maybe this isn’t a revolution. Maybe it’s a return.
A return to real food that fits our time.
Pastry everybody can love, for the pleasure, not the guilt.
What do you see in your kitchen?
Are your customers changing the way they choose?
Are you feeling the same shift we are, less about trends, more about truth?
We’d love to hear your view.
Share your thoughts with us, because this story, like pastry, is better when shared.
