Sara Lee Food & Beverage continues to preach the "transitional" benefits of enriched white flour/whole grain flour blends with the launch of a variety of breakfast breads, bagels and English muffins. In July 2005, the company tested the blended flour concept with Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White bread. Today, the Downers Grove, Ill.-based company says this loaf of bread is the best-selling loaf of bread in America.
The success of Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White bread paved the way for the company's latest offerings: three varieties of breakfast breads, two varieties of English muffins and two varieties of bagels. All of the company's new products use a blend of enriched white flour and whole grain flour to deliver both taste and nutrition. Two of the products use ConAgra's UltraGrain white whole wheat flour.
"Sara Lee has enjoyed great success with its lineup of wheat and whole grain breads, but the biggest opportunity remains with the majority of consumers who buy white bread, plain bagels, traditional English muffins and other popular white flour products," Bill Nictakis, Sara Lee Food & Beverage's U.S. Fresh Bakery's president, said. "By using a flour blending strategy, we've created the No. 1 selling loaf of bread in America. Now, we're building on that success by introducing similar products for the nutritionally important breakfast meal."