MEXICO CITY — The theme of healthfulness is on the radar at Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V. Daniel Servitje, chief executive officer of Grupo Bimbo, recently called the past year an “important year for health and wellness initiatives.” He said the company launched numerous better-for-you and functional products across 22 markets, and described the better-for-you category as a rapidly growing segment for Bimbo to address.

“Everything from whole grains, natural ingredients and high fiber, to low fat and less sodium and sugar,” he said. “It’s about new formulas, newer ingredients and alternative portion size all leveraging our brand equity. Our portfolio innovations started its transformations in this sense, and we are at an important milestone toward a bright future in this huge market.”

Toward the development and introduction of these products, Mr. Servitje described how Bimbo balances its global capabilities with a “highly localized” aspect to its research and development.

“Technologies, trends, guidelines, our new products benefit from our global scale and cross-market know-how,” he said. “But local flavors and preferences and obviously local marketing and advertising are critical to meeting the unique needs of our customers and consumers in all the markets we operate.”

Click for a slideshow of innovation taking place at Bimbo.