Cake Mix Company Battles Rising Tide Of Consumer Antipathy, Other Trends

The changing dietary habits of American consumers – concerns about processed foods and sugars, less time for baking – have driven the bake mix industry, and packaged foods in general, into the doldrums. Betty Crocker cake mix sales were down six percent as of May 2015, the end of its last fiscal year. They have rebounded somewhat since then, mainly because of price cuts to keep pace with competitors like Duncan Hines. Meanwhile, the refrigerated dough business (Pillsbury) has suffered some decline, but not as steep as Betty Crocker’s. The declines reflect trends in the overall cake mix and refrigerated dough categories. Still, home baking hasn’t gone completely out of style. General Mills is making sure of that with ramped up marketing efforts on its website, and through extensive social media campaigns.