• In Romania, we can talk about the production of bread on an industrial scale only from the end of the XNUMXth century and the beginning of the XNUMXth century
• In 1989, the annual consumption of bread amounted to 130 kilograms per inhabitant, a level which, since then, has not been reached in official statistics
• The champions of bread consumption in Romania are the people of Olten, with 1,731 kilograms more than the national monthly average, which was 8,2 kilograms per capita last year
Romanians have a real cult of bread, to which beliefs, traditions and customs are linked. Although bread accompanied him through thick and thin, and the common man worked hard for a loaf of bread, history shows that the population of the current territory of Romania did not eat enough bread until a few decades ago.
In 1989, bread consumption was 130 kilograms per inhabitant, a level that has not been reached since then.
Currently, Romania is, according to the latest Eurostat data, the largest European consumer of bread, with 95 kg of bread/year/capita, compared to an EU average of 60 kg/year/capita. At the same time, Romania has the lowest price of bread in the EU, exactly half the average of the community of 28 states, according to the data of the European statistical office, Eurostat.
The first mechanized bakeries
In Romania, we can talk about the production of bread on an industrial scale only from the end of the 1935th century and the beginning of the 36th century, this being done within the army, in cities and fairs, in craft workshops, which were the first large-capacity production units, called "maintenance", equipped with machines at the technical level of the respective era. Immediately after the First World War, the first industrial units for the production of bread were established. These used ovens heated with steam tubes, mostly of the Dampf type, and mixers, making the transition from manual kneading and the wood-heated clay oven to the first modern machines, designed to increase both quantity and quality the bread. Thus, in Romania in 700, XNUMX mechanized bakeries were operating, with a number of XNUMX employees.
Bread crises
At the beginning of the last century, wheat, the main cereal exported by Romania, was used in the country only by townspeople and well-to-do Romanians.
On a large scale, wheat replaces corn after the 40s. About the same time, the first general crises, and of bread in particular, appeared, caused by the drought, but especially by the shortages from the early years of communism, 1946-1947, by forced industrialization and urbanization, which suddenly displaced approximately 55% of Romania's population in town. In '48, upon nationalization, the new communist regime confiscated the factories and kept the two-oven bakeries, which they took ownership of. Those with a single oven he closed or demolished. A Milling and Baking Company was established in each county, under whose management came the production units, bread, pasta or biscuit and wafer factories, bakeries, retail stores and mills, also forcibly nationalized. The organization remained unchanged until '91, when the privatizations began.
The last collective ovens
An exception during the communist era was the trustee system, a hybrid form of ownership of some services, from the period 1966-1971, which allowed the existence of private patisseries, grocers, bakeries or restaurants, with services superior to those of the state. Another exception was the collective oven, which was preserved until the 1965s in the cities of Transylvania. In the old traditional communities, as for example in Scheii Brașov, there were families who owned bread ovens and where the members of the community went with the molds (a kind of covet hollowed in wooden trunks) filled with ready-made dough at home and baked bread, but also cakes or pies. The ovens were worked according to schedule, everyone knew their turn and respected it. A loaf of bread was large, about two to four kilograms, and after it was beaten to break the thick, black crust from being baked in the hearth, it was also grated with a special grater, so that it would be "facety". Then, the loaves were wrapped in white cloths and kept in the "cold house", i.e. in the front room, the unheated one, where the guests were received.
Black, medium or white bread and the sandwich for 3,20 lei
The assortments of bread and pastry in state stores were not very diverse during the years of communism, with a small exception in the "opening" years of the 70s, when, in addition to fresh bread, on the shelves there was a diverse and appetizing range of,, specialities': muffins, buns, croissants with butter, croquettes with cheese, cheesecakes or bars with vanilla cream. Then the shelves were emptied. Until the introduction of the cards, you could find the same assortments on the shelves all over the country: black, intermediate and white bread. The black bread cost 2 lei, and the intermediate bread 2,70. In Transylvania, you could also buy white bread with potatoes, 2 kg, for 7,20 lei. A white loaf costs 3,20 lei or, in Bucharest and in the southern part of the country, a long baguette. For 2 lei you could buy 5 croissants worth 40 lei, which were made with milk. The simple horn costs 25 money. The pretzels were 15 banis, the simple ones, and the bigger ones, with salt, 30 banis.
Half a loaf of bread a day, on the card
In order to give a socio-economic justification to the rationalization of bread, Ceausescu blamed the inhabitants of the countryside, who would have gone to the city in large numbers to buy large quantities of bread with which they would then have fed their household pigs. Under this pretext, starting in 1982, the bread cards for the townspeople appeared. These had different colors, from town to town, but everywhere, each person living in the urban environment was only entitled to half a loaf of bread a day. No one received bread without a card. This had 30-31 columns, the number of days in the month, and every day the saleswoman checked the ration. In some counties they were released for one month, in others for three months. In December '89, the cards were kept for two more days after the escape of Nicolae Ceauşescu.
The hit of Turkish bread from the 90s
The last two decades have produced a major upheaval on the bread market: in addition to numerous traditional formulas, some "imported" assortments have become massively popular. The biggest impact was on Turkish bread (very airy and voluminous) and Arabic breads, which influenced consumption behavior and the traditional bread market. "In 1995, Turkish bread began to appear. They put a lot of yeast in it and a lot of additives. The Turks came up with the additives. The Romanian bread market fell by half then and, over time, the Romanians had to add additives as well. And they got into it like that, by ear, without doing any studies, anything", declared Ilie Gheorghe, the main shareholder of the "Spicul" factory, for the Adevărul newspaper.
Along with the additives, the Turkish bread also brought a lot of tax evasion on the Romanian bread market. "The second destructive effect for us was the fact that these small bread factories, which appeared then, started to escape. There was 80-90% tax evasion on the bread market. The evasion is done by not paying the VAT and by paying the employees illegally", explains Ilie Gheorghe. The "Spicul" factory, with a history of almost 170 years, the bread supplier of the Royal House of Romania, was bought in 2016 by Vel Pitar.
Tax evasion bites into our bread again
"If we have to make a reference to the evolution of the bakery products market from 1990 until now, we have to take into account several factors, namely: the fact that in the first years after the Revolution, the technical equipment and the number of small capacity bakery units were quite reduced; the bread also had other destinations, as it was done before 1990; tax evasion, which makes us have a less good appreciation of the consumption of bread. At the national level, bread consumption went from 136 kg/person/year, in 1990, to below 100 kg/person/year, in 2000, and to below 86 kg/person/year at present. In the period from 2008 to 2013, the highest tax evasion was recorded in the bakery sector, at one point reaching 60%. Following the measures proposed by Rompan and applied by the Government, to reduce taxation - of VAT - tax evasion decreased in 2014 to around 35%, and at the moment there are again trends of increasing tax evasion", stands up Aurel Popescu, president of ROMPAN.
What bread do Romanians eat?
Franzela remains the most sold bread in Romania
First of all, in our country, bread is a cheap and accessible food. It costs much less than meat, fish or dairy. It costs less than even many varieties of fruits and vegetables.
Secondly, the native cultural model characterizes bread as a "satiating" food.
Thirdly, according to the old eating habits of Romanians, bread can be added to any kind of food, including potatoes, rice or pasta.
The people of Olten, bread consumption champions in Romania
Bread and bakery products are the basic foods in the South-West Oltenia region, registering, in 2017, the highest consumption at the national level, with 1,731 kilograms more than the average monthly consumption, of 8,2 kilograms, at the national level, show the figures of the Dolj Regional Statistics Directorate. And in 2016, residents of the Southwest Oltenia region consumed, on average, per month, in a household, 9,68 kg of bread and bakery products, more than the national average, which was 8,26 kg of bread per month, per household.
A family from Moldova puts two loaves of bread on the table a day
Even if it is not on the first place in the statistics, the Moldovan area is also one of the largest consumers of bread in the country. "Bread is present at all the main meals of the day. On average, 2 loaves of bread are consumed/day/family (3 members). In Bacău, Pambac is the traditional producer of bread, and the taste of Pambac bread is present in the memory of many generations of Bacău residents. The traditional product and available to everyone is the white loaf. Over time, we developed other varieties of bread - black, whole, which slowly occupied a part of the market, offering a different taste and satiety", he says Mirela Totu, Pambac Bacău Marketing Manager.
In the south and east of the country, white bread is preferred
Studies on the consumption behavior of Romanians show that interest in bread continues to be dominant. They reveal that in about 6 out of 7 households white bread is consumed, despite campaigns that talk about the "negative effects" of white bread consumption for health. "Based on a recent study on the profile of the consumer of flour products at the level of Romania, it emerged that Romanians are big consumers of white bread. In the southern and eastern part of the country, the preferred bread is between 0,300-0,600 kg, and in the central and western part, the round bread weighing more than 0,600 kg/piece. In the urban environment, the consumption of such products is around 50%, and in the rural environment around 70%. The consumption of bread made from black, wholemeal and graham flour has increased in the last 5 years, being preferred especially by women in the urban environment (a third of women consume such products made from dark flour)", states the ROMPAN representative.
Sliced bread is sought after in the center and west of the country
High consumption of white bread is more frequent among men, people over 45 years old. Young people largely opt for rye or multigrain bread. Those who consume white bread also have an emotional connection with this product, being a local tradition. Soft, fluffy, cheap, with an inviting appearance, it is preferred when buying out of habit. Black, wholemeal and graham bread are recommended by doctors and in diets. The population of this area is used to frequently consuming sliced bread.
Other varieties of bread increasingly common in the last 10 years are the specialties, both the classic ones (braided bread, graham, rye), and those that offer a touch of authenticity and naturalness, recalling the taste "from the country". The latter are the breads with natural sourdough, which, in addition to the benefits of taste and flavor, are more nutritious and stay fresh longer, according to the ROMPAN study.
What has changed in 10 years?
10 years ago, according to a market study also presented by Rompan, the 280-300 gram sandwich was more sought after in the Constanţa-Pitesti area, the 500 gram bread was consumed in the Teleorman, Dolj, Olt, Vâlcea areas, and 500-600 gram bread was preferred by consumers in the Moldova area. Franzela of over 800 grams and up to four kilograms was consumed in Transylvania and Banat.
Consumer segmentation is done according to income and education
"Consumer segmentation is based on income and education. Thus, families with low and medium incomes, with an average level of education are mainly consumers of bread. Informed people, with medium to high incomes, with an orientation towards a healthy and diversified diet, are consumers of bread with mayo - the Plamădita range, black or wholemeal bread. People with medium to high incomes, traditionalists, alternately consume bread and specialties. Young people are oriented towards the traditional taste of bread with mayo, but also towards exotic or different tastes - bread with olives, bread with seeds, etc." explains the Pambac representative.
Consumers know exactly what kind of bread they want
"Consumers know exactly what kind of bread they want to buy and, in many cases, recommendations cannot sway them from their choice. Consumers want bread to be fresh, made the same day, with product appearance playing an important role in their choice. For packaged products, the content of food additives and the type of flour used are important. Lately there is an increase in demand for bread made from dark flour and an increase in demand for sliced bread as it is packaged and hygienic, easy to toast for breakfast and less bread is consumed as the slice is thinner ", claims Aurel Popescu, president of ROMPAN.
Tastes have diversified
"If in the 90s, about 95% of consumption was represented by white bread, today consumer preferences and tastes have diversified. Franzela now accounts for around 70% of consumption. The orientation of a large category of consumers, especially those interested in a healthy and diversified diet, is towards products that are as natural as possible, with specific, traditional tastes (whether Romanian or from the specifics of other nations). The tendency to try something else makes the difference between today's consumer and that of 30 years ago. Especially young people, who no longer have the nostalgia of childhood taste, get bored easily and are tempted to try new tastes, aromas, recipes. Thus, the assortment of specialties has increased a lot, both for white bread and for black or wholemeal bread. We constantly come to customers with new assortments and combinations, to surprise them", he says the representative of Pambac Bacău.
Good bread is not cheap!
"60 years ago I ate bread made by my grandmother. He used for fermentation the foam collected on the surface of the barrels filled with plums for brandy... The bread was made in dough and I remember it was very good - I don't know if it was good because of the foam, the dough or because I ate less often. Then I remember when the bread cart came - black bread - very tasty, with a specific smell, which I still haven't forgotten. I still keep this image vivid in my memory...probably also because bread was on the menu at that time, and we didn't have it...We only stuck to a crust of bread if we helped unload it.
I still remember, even though 50 years have passed, the private bakeries in Sibiu, which received flour from people and gave them back bread. It was considered a luxury product. Then, about 45-50 years ago, the basic bread was the semi-white one, weighing 4 kg, it easily reached Șara Loviștei where I lived, because there were a lot of commuters - and one loaf lasted a week... best of all points of view. Therefore, for about 60 years, with little interruptions, I have been eating bread from about the same area and almost the same quality – good and very good bread!
The secret ? Even if it is made industrially, for the most part, the bread is still made with long fermentation, bi or triphasic, and also heavy bread!
The flour used is of good quality, "careful"! Consumers know how to appreciate quality and pay a fair price (in Sibiu, bread costs between 4 and 6 lei per kg, compared to other areas where bread costs between 1,5 lei and 3 lei per kg). And it's not the consumers fault. They buy what they find in the market: sometimes cheap, sometimes of poor quality. Most of the time, however, cheap and of poor quality. If bakers produced only good bread, consumers would buy only that. Statistically, 75-80% of the country's population consumes bread, in a month, the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes. Only in the conception of some there is the psychosis that bread must be cheap. We organized three symposia in Sibiu where we talked about traditions, the quality of bread, its value! ... but some of the colleagues "betrayed", and now a lot of bread still goes to the trash... pity, big pity!"
• Mircea Ureche, BOROMIR director
Modern versus traditional
Paradoxically, the more cosmopolitan and refined the eating habits of Romanians become, the more traditional the consumer is in choosing bread. "Today, modern means traditional. The bakery market will evolve in the direction of consumption oriented towards natural, healthy and food safety. Brands and manufacturers will become the basic criterion in consumer choices, with the classic unbranded loaf losing more and more customers. Modern means time, convenience and the need for a safe and reliable product, aspects that are beginning to leave their mark on consumption habits. From this point of view, sliced and packaged bread, but with a short shelf life, is increasingly demanded by consumers", he claims the representative of the company Pambac Bacău.
"Traditional is preferred by the majority of the population, but, unfortunately, these units are facing a big problem lately: the one related to the lack of labor force, especially the qualified one, because especially the youth no longer want to engage in manual labor. And then, little by little, it will be the industry that supplies the market in greater proportions, because both mechanization and automation can be applied in these industrial enterprises. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that traditionalism will lose some of the ground gained also due to the appearance of frozen products, which will also be used in small bakeries", he believes ROMPAN representative.
