Hot pies going cold

The meat pie has always been a strong contender in debates about Australia's national dish. But its popularity has fallen in the past two years among service station and convenience store customers.

After a 10-year growth in the sector, its market value dropped by 9 per cent to $79 million between 2010 to 2012, a BIS Shrapnel report into the route trade market revealed. Instead people were bringing lollies to the till.

"More people are bringing lunches from home instead of buying food," said Sissel Rosengren, head of BIS Foodservice.

"It's in reaction to the economic downturn, there's poor consumer confidence."

While meat pies continue to dominate the bakery products category, their market decline coincides with the increase in value of sausage rolls, up 4 per cent, and cakes, up 14 per cent.

But the brand manager for Four'N Twenty pies, Mark Malak, dismissed the BIS figures, saying research by Aztec showed more pies were being sold than ever before.