January-2019-EXHIBITS-Magazine

INTERVIEW: BRIJESH EDWARDS
Innovation
has taken baking to the next level
The cake market India is growing at a
fast pace and so is the demand for the
baked products. Mr Brijesh Edwards,
Director, Synergy Exposures & Events
India, talks about the market dynamics,
the Bakers Technology Fair (BTF) and
the challenges.
Bakers Technology Fair is a
premium bakery show in India with
a designated professional B2B
trade platform. How is it helping
the bakery industry in the country?
BTF caters to the needs of various
segments of bakery business
professionals, including large-scale
bakeries and confectionery plants,
bakery chains, mid-segment bakeries,
artisanal bakeries, cafe chains, etc.
Synergy Exposures has taken the step
of representing Hyderabad to be the
“Biscuit capital” of India. Third-party
manufacturers, master bakers, chefs,
procurement professionals and food
business operators find optimum
solutions at BTF.
How do you see the bakery industry
in India growing?
The Industry in India has always had
a good market potential and the
growth rate has not been monitored
systematically as the unorganised
players hold a significant market
share. Large bakery chains and
cluster formats have proved quite
successful in the last 5 years.
The revenue in bread and bakery
products segment totalled US$
3,024 million in 2018. The market is
expected to grow at 8.9% year-onyear
(2018-2021).
Frozen baking technology has also
entered the Indian market and this
has been widely accepted by the retail
food industry and end users. With a
large per capita consumption India
has welcomed this technology as it
will be beneficial to the masses.
What are the challenges in the
industry?
The use of additives, food colours and
preservatives have been a challenge
in the industry as the regulatory
bodies have not been able to achieve
the goals in controlling the use of the
right ingredients. Synergy Exposures
& Events India, under the guidance
of Society of Indian Bakers, has
unveiled a handbook for bakers on
FSSAI standards, to streamline the
production process in all categories
of bakeries.
The seminars, organised by Bakers
Knowledge Sharing Forum, has
been an eye-opener in areas such as
hygiene, best practices in large-scale
production, etc.
What role does technology play in
the bakery industry?
Technology plays a vital role in
food production and atomisation
makes the baking process simpler.
It supports hygienic environment
and has definitely helped to achieve
higher shelf life of products. Foaming
technology, modern packaging trends
and innovative storage solutions are
the driving factors for a successful
business model.
How evolved is the Indian market in
terms of ingredients, flavours and
baking technologies?
Ingredients and flavours determine
the appeal and quality of a product
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JANUARY | 2019