Wafer Biscuits are dry, crispy, and thin-waffled pattern biscuits used in a wide range of food applications. These biscuits form an important component of ice cream, biscuits, and chocolate bars. Wafers are a convenient food sold in all retail establishments. There is an increasing consumer demand for wafers across the globe amid a culture of healthy snacking. Health-efficient wafer biscuits with fortified active ingredients, mainly protein, fiber, and vitamins, have gained traction in the market. This article dives into the wafer biscuit market, machinery, regulations, market analysis, and new developments.
Wafer Biscuits: New Developments, Innovations and Trends
Wafer Biscuit market is rapidly expanding rising demand for healthy snacks and rising per capita consumption in developing countries. Healthy snacking amid a healthy diet and a conscious eating pattern across the world has impacted the wafers market too. Food processors have started to manufacture health-efficient wafer biscuits with fortified active ingredients, mainly protein, fiber, and vitamins. Furthermore, there is a diversification in the flavor ranges and growing popularity among kids and adults. In this section, we will focus more on newer innovations in the wafer biscuit segment.
Innovative Products
The wafer biscuit market is expanding due to the arrival of innovative products. These nascent wafer biscuits have a unique flavor combination, such as vanilla, strawberry, hazelnut, caramel, etc. The development and innovations in the machinery part have also led to the expansion of the product range in this segment. Now, multilayered wafer biscuits, different filling combinations such as chocolate coatings, caramel fillings, etc., are present in the market.
Healthy Snacking
The impact of the current trend in food technology and changing societal food habits has also impacted the wafer biscuit segment. The increasing demand for clean-label products has led to the elimination of artificial ingredients and the incorporation of health-promoting components. Now, wafer biscuits with vitamin-fortified wafers or gluten-free alternatives are available globally.
Quality Enhancement
There has been an increasing use of automation across the food technology industry. It has led to precision, accuracy, and consistency in the production lines. This has led to an increase in the quality of the wafers and biscuits to manifold.
Wafer Biscuits: Market Analysis And Key Market Players
According to the Mordor Intelligence, the Wafer Biscuit market size will grow at a CAGR of 5.49% between 2025 to 2030. The agency has estimated that the Asia-Pacific region will be fastest fastest-growing market.
Market Drivers
There are many factors which has led to the rising demand for wafers biscuit across the globe. These are:
Convenient Snacking
There has been an ever-increasing preference for convenient snacking and easier consumer accessibility. Furthermore, there is a shift in consumption towards bakery products due to better appeal, taste, and convenience.
Healthier Snacking
There is a booming demand for healthy snacking. It has led to the introduction of health-efficient biscuits with fortified active ingredients such as protein, fiber, and vitamins. This snacking trend is supported by campaigns, such as the Better-For-You Snacking. This is a particular segment where players are positioning and innovating their product lines.
For Example, Nabati Group introduced a new product line called Nabati Vitakrim. The product consists of vitamin-fortified wafers. These wafers are wrapped with the peanut butter cream fortified with vitamin E. The same company offers Nabati Vitakrim raspberry yogurt cream wafer, which contains added Vitamin C.
Similarly, Voortman Bakery introduced pumpkin spice wafers. These cookies are baked with real pumpkins. These wafers do not contain artificial colors or flavors, nor high-fructose corn syrup.
Regional Analysis of the Wafer Biscuits Market
According to the Mordor Intelligence, the European region dominates the wafer biscuit market. The region has witnessed a significant demand for wafer biscuits due to product innovations and the use of high-quality ingredients. Germany (USD 379,807), France (USD 284,508), and the United Kingdom (USD 259,769) are the major players in this region after the United States of America.
Key Market Players in the Wafer Biscuit Market
Nestle
The company has a wide range of wafer portfolio and is the most recognized brand globally. It has a 20% share in the global wafer market. The company primarily focuses on chocolate-covered wafers and wafer bars. KITKAT, a globally recognized product, is one of the main wafer products of Nestle. Other notable wafer products by the company include MUNCH and BAR-ONE.
Mondelez International
The company owns and manufactures several wafer biscuit brands. Milka Choco Wafers, LU Wafers, and Oreo Wafer Rolls are the popular brands owned by Mondelez International. According to Global Growth Insights, Mondelez holds 18% of the global wafer market.
Lotte
The company manufactures various types of wafers, products such as Choco Pie, and Lotte Krunch. The company is a significant player in the global wafer market.
Mars
The company is a leading manufacturer of wafers in the world. Mars manufactures crispy rolls featuring brands like TWIX, BOUNTY, and MILKY WAY.
Key Players in Wafer Biscuit Processing Equipment Manufacturing
Bühler AG, Baker Perkins Limited, GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft, and The Middleby Corporation are the major companies involved in the production of wafer biscuits. JBT Corporation, Anko Food Machine Co., Ltd., Markel Food Group, Koenig Maschinen GmbH, and Heat & Control are other players that provide machinery for wafer biscuit production.
Wafer Biscuits: International Safety Standards
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The agency has put forward a set of regulations for wafer biscuits. It requires the food processors to adhere to a set of standards related to labeling, safety, and ingredient standards.
Food Safety
The FDA has put forward a set of safety standards for wafer biscuits. It regulates standards for ingredients and the manufacturing process to make it safe.
Labeling Requirements
The FDA has put forward a set of regulations regarding the labeling of wafer biscuits. The labelling must include a statement of identity, net quantity of contents, ingredients list, and nutrition facts label.
Food Additives
FDA also regulates the types of food additives to can be added to the wafers and biscuits. It also publishes a list of additives to be used in the wafers.
Way Forward
The market analyst has a bright and optimistic market projection for the wafers market. Although Europe and Western countries are the hotspots for this market, the Asia-Pacific region has emerged as a potential market for it. There has been a growing demand for clean-label and nutrition-centric wafers across the segments. The food manufacturers have gone forward to incorporate innovations in the wafer market and met the current demands and choices. With the rise of the processed food market, the wafers market is also going to capture the market.