It can be daunting to consider adding nutritional information to your products if you’re in the bakery business.
When your job is to produce the lightest, fluffiest, creamiest, most delectable baked goodies often loaded with fat and sugar, why give consumers the bad news about the calorie, fat, and sugar content?
No news, is good news, as the saying goes, right?
Wrong! Even when it comes to the nutritional information of CAKES.
In this short article, we uncover the myths and reveal the truths about displaying nutritional information on your most calorie-laden, high-fat irresistible cakes, biscuits, pastries, and baked goods.
And why giving your customers nutritional information is always a sales-driver.
1 Transparency With Nutrition Labels
Some customers just won’t take you seriously if you don’t have nutritional information on your packaging or your website.
Consumers may have the attitude that you can produce a cake, but if you can’t afford or don’t think it’s important to have nutritional information displayed, then they are just not sure about you.
What are you hiding? They may ask. They may assume a lot of things. They may even think that your best-selling cupcake has 600 calories when in fact it has 350 calories.
Either way, it looks unprofessional compared to your competitors who are providing nutrition labels. So come clean and let them know the nutritional information of your products.
2 Trust
Trust is such a small word but never underestimate it. It sure is key to most things in life. And in business, it is absolutely everything.
If your customers don’t trust you and your products you don’t have much. Building trust in your brand and business can be difficult. But providing your customers with as much information as possible is key to building trust.
Having nutritional information displayed on your products makes you look more professional and trustworthy. That can only mean more business.
3 Informing Your Customers
It’s understandable when your food is not the most healthy to shy away from nutritional information.
However, if McDonald’s can inform people of their “unhealthier products” and still continue to thrive, then that ought to convince you that displaying nutritional information is a good thing.
Regardless of the nutritional information which is clearly displayed on Mcdonalds food globally, there hasn’t been a revolt away from Mcdonalds — people are still “lovin’ it” regardless.
Your customers know cakes are not the healthiest option. They want the heads up so that they can make choices and incorporate your products into their diet without having to tot up the “potential” calories your products may have.
Inform your customers about the nutritional information in your food items. They’ll appreciate it!
4 Hanging On To The Past
Referring back to our previous example of Mcdonalds; it’s certainly fair to say that Mcdonalds and other conglomerates were pushed to reveal their nutritional information to consumers by pressure and possible legislative measures should they have not done so.
It was not a battle that the fast food giants were going to win in many countries where governments are keen to not have their healthcare systems engulfed by an obesity epidemic, and into the bargain lose valuable taxpayers to the same health-related conditions. So the fast food giants and retailers sensibly adopted a willing approach to displaying nutritional information.
And it’s paid off. Customers trust suppliers who display information. So they buy from them. Simple.
While government legislation may not be hot on the heels of smaller companies, it is likely that this may become the case.
So why not just accept the inevitable and be seen to be graceful, willing and ahead of some of your competitors by displaying your nutritional information, now?
5 Good Cakes & Bad Cakes
For sure, cakes are bad for you, right?
Not so fast!
There are better cakes as I would like to call them. And you could be missing a trick here. Many a seasoned calorie-counter is looking for a cake that is not “too bad” and you could quite literally be sitting on a goldmine.
Calorie-counters want the “best value” for their calories. Bakeries are often able to produce far better and lighter cakes than the home cook can due to techniques, expertise, ingredients, and equipment.
Calorie-counters are often looking for something not so calorific that still tastes like a piece of heaven in the dieters’ world of abstinence. If you produce meringues and cakes made with fat-less airy sponges, then your cakes are just what calorie counters are hunting for.
Many dieters and weight watchers these days incorporate pleasurable food into their diets because without it — well life would be a bit miserable and they couldn’t stick to their diets.
Psychology shows that if dieters deny heavenly food altogether, they binge. So many incorporate lighter sweet treats now as part of weight loss and weight control programs.
Maybe you produce cakes that are a little lighter? And with some clever marketing, you can highlight some of your products that will have weight watchers making a beeline for your beautifully feather-light airy buns and deliciously chewy, marshmallowy, meringue masterpieces.
In addition to which, cakes and other bakery products that are lower in calories with some clever marketing can attract a far higher price point. Who doesn’t want a cake that is still delicious and mouth-wateringly satisfying but has fewer calories?
Don’t miss out on a gold mine and start using nutritional software to uncover your low-calorie secrets, now!
6 Exploration
Using nutritional software also has the added benefit of allowing you to extend a product range should you wish. With talented bakers on board to help you produce lower-calorie products, then once again you will boost your sales.
Extend to other markets, excite your team, reignite your passions, get involved and drive your sales, if it’s suitable for your brand.
7 A Whole Product
The nutritional information is as key a piece of information when it comes to a food product as much as the price, flavor, weight, packaging, and appearance. In fact, often more so.
Sure, everyone wants a product to taste great, and obviously, a price is vital, but the nutritional information is often a more important piece of information that your customers use to decide whether to buy your products.
Without displaying your nutritional information, you’re not giving consumers the full picture. So do it.
8 Health
People can still and do want to eat your delicious baked goods regardless of whether they are living with an illness that means they must monitor their diet carefully.
Think about it. A person living with diabetes may be able to include some of your most delectable offerings after their diagnosis if they have nutritional information. They absolutely will not be able to risk a bite without some information. Period.
With an aging population that still love a sweet treat, don’t cut these consumers out of your scope for the sake of spending a minimal amount of money displaying nutritional information.
9 Be Honest
Including information is being honest. Need I say more. In a world of lies from politicians, and many services and product suppliers, consumers really just want some honesty.
Displaying your information is being honest. It is what it is. Baked goods usually have high-calorie contents. End of. People still eat them. Sugar is delicious as is fat and your delicious baked goods will still fly off the shelves and you can feel good about informing your customers. And they you.
Your customers deserve this information so give them it.
10 Give Your Customers Choice
If consumers want to smoke, they can. They can also drink and eat as much food or as little to kill themselves. It’s pretty much up to all of us to lead a healthy lifestyle and have a healthy diet or not.
Your customers are grown-ups and can make choices. Ultimately, it’s they who will reap the consequences of their good or bad choices.
I don’t agree that cakes are an unhealthy part of a diet. Granted, I don’t indulge in high-calorie cakes daily. I know that I can easily afford to make cakes, muffins, buns, pastries, croissants, and cookies part of my diet as the rest of my diet is pretty healthy. And it’s called a healthy balanced diet for a reason.
Eating the occasional cake is what life is all about, it’s a day off – a Sunday morning, a relaxing coffee, a sunset, it’s a sublime level of pleasure that has us coming back for more – it’s kind of what makes life worth living.
Displaying nutritional information gives your customers the choices I believe they are entitled to. So do it.
11 Calorie Counting Customers
Regardless of whether it is right or wrong or the damage it may or may not have caused, billions of dollars annually have been poured into the global marketing of calorie-counting. Since the 1970s consumers, in particular, women have been brought up to count calories and watch their weight.
We now have generations of people, often but not exclusively, women that have been bombarded with calorie-counting to maintain a slim physique.
In addition to which, around one-quarter of Canadians are obese (a BMI over 30) and many are doing something about it. They contribute to the $7 billion spent on the Canadian diet industry, annually.
Some will go on to be yo-yo dieters or manage their weight and be conscious of calories for the rest or a large part of their lives.
That does not mean they won’t eat your products if they have nutritional information, but many will not consider you as an option if you don’t display your calorie information.
It’s foolish to underestimate the number of consumers that diet, calorie count, and watch their weight — so don’t do it.
12 Nutrition Fact Labels Bring A Proven Sales Boost
Not one of Menusano’s clients has ever come back and decided against nutritional information.
Not one.
And that’s huge. Not one company has decided to not display their nutritional information once we have provided them with the ability to do so with our nutritional software.
Why? That’s simple. Because it works. For many of the reasons stated above.
In fact, there have only ever been positive results and a real sales boost for all our customers. So many types of consumers just won’t touch your cakes if you don’t display nutritional information so the effect is always a sales boost.
People will not turn down your delicious baked goods just because you have been respectful and honest enough to be accountable and provide nutritional information.
For sure, some people may turn away from a Quarter Pounder with cheese, large fries and a shake gave the nutritional information. But instead, they will more than likely purchase a Quarter Pounder without cheese, regular fries and a diet coke — so no harm was done at the cash register.
“All our clients have reported positive feedback and sales from displaying nutritional information. I have never had a client come back to me and want to delete nutritional information,“ advises MenuSano Founder, Sonia Couto
The process is often easier than you might think. Certainly, bakeries do not have a problem in gathering the raw data to produce nutritional information as their recipes and quantities are readily available.
Final Thoughts
If nutritional analysis software cost thousands, then I can clearly see why many small businesses might not be able to afford it regardless of the fact it’s a proven sales booster.
The truth is it costs so little, it’s a no-brainer.
The cost of adopting nutritional information software from MenuSano is as little as $25 per month.
There is nothing dishonest about an honestly and lovingly prepared delectable cake. So allow your customers to discover your honest cakes, honestly with accountability.
Why not try out our nutritional analysis software for free?
