Real Bread unwrapped 2023
A review of the high (and low) lights of the Campaign’s 15th anniversary year.
January to March
In January, we learned that Iceland had discontinued its 'White & Wholemeal' loaf after our complaint that its name breached regulation 6 of the Bread and Flour Regulations.
Our annual awareness-raising week generated more than 4000 #RealBreadWeek #RealBread and #RealBreadCampaign hashtagged posts from more than 40 countries. Activity included the first-ever Scottish Real Bread Festival, Kitty’s Kits being launched to schools and community groups, care home residents baking and reminiscing, and bread making at a refugee camp in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Our work highlighting industrial loaf products being named and marketed using the word wholemeal, in apparent breach of regulations, led to the start of reviews by Defra and trading standards.
As an element of our work celebrating and encouraging a greater diversity of people feeling welcome in our network and/or identifying Real Bread bakers, we launched an A to Z of Real Bread. This invites people to share bread and bread traditions that reflect their heritage and identity.
April to June
On 17 May 2023, we sent a letter to the Secretary of State and Minister of State at Defra. It urged the UK government to withdraw its endorsement of a so-called ‘industry code of practice’, which seeks to legitimise the use of baker’s yeast and additives in products named and advertised using the word sourdough. The letter was signed by more than 1000 people from across the UK, including bakery owners and workers; people from related businesses and organisations; and many who added their names as supporters of small businesses and of better consumer protection.
We launched The Untold Stories Fund to enable us to pay writers of articles for the Campaign supporters’ magazine True Loaf and the Campaign website, which reaches a wider audience. Our aim is to raise at least £500 in the first year and £1000 or more in subsequent years. Sustain has agreed to match-fund up to £1000 of doughnations in the fund’s first year. This will enable the Campaign to pay for one double-page article in each of four quarterly issues of True Loaf, if the target is met.
We automated The Real Bread Loaf Mark scheme sign ups and renewals, making the process quicker and easier for bakeries and retailers.
July to September
Thanks to 185 lovely people, who collectively pledged 6489 of His Majesty’s pounds sterling through our crowdfunding campaign, Sustain will be able to publish our grow-a-loaf guidebook, Bake Your Lawn.
People from Australia to Zambia joined the 10th anniversary Sourdough September celebrations. On social media, people used our #SourdoughSeptember hashtag, or told us they were celebrating, in 56 countries. The hashtag was used around 1900 times on Instagram alone, a figure that would be much higher if we had been able to count posts on other platforms. Media work by the Campaign and our supporters helped to secure national, regional, local and bakery trade press coverage around the UK, plus mentions in Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, Greece, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and USA.
We published the Real Bread For All guide to help and encourage small, independent bakeries to explore ways of bridging the gap between what it costs them to produce Real Bread, and what people in their communities on tighter budgets can afford.
One of the bakeries inspired by this guide, Aston's Bakehouse, launched The People's Loaf, selling 360 during Sourdough September.
In August, we challenged a minister's denial of market failure and assertion of regulatory robustness. We believe his comment and Defra’s inaction showed a total lack of support for thousands of SME bakery businesses across the UK, their employees, and potentially millions of shoppers who want or even need to know that they are getting what they think they’re paying for.
As the result of our complaint that, because not all of the flour used was wholemeal, the name ‘Stamford Street Co. Wholemeal Tortilla Wraps’ breached regulation 6 of the Bread and Flour Regulations, the trading standards department of Oxfordshire County Council advised Sainsbury's to change the product's recipe or labelling.
October to December
November was a particularly busy month, which included marking the 15th anniversary of the Campaign's official launch.
The Campaign coordinator (with invaluable input from many experts) finished writing Bake Your Lawn and handed it over to a proof reader. He also contacted a number of colleges to ask for advice on inviting students to apply for the opportunity of illustrating the book. Of the few that responded, one was particularly keen to offer students the chance to get involved.
As the result of complaints by the Campaign being investigated by trading standards officers of eight local authorities about nine major brands using white flour in products marketed with the word wholemeal, Defra confirmed that the practice is prohibited. The department went to give advice on compliance.
The Minister of State at Defra at last confirmed that: ‘work to consider a definition for wholegrain has been added as part of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition future work programme.” After further prompting, the Minister advised that the SACN: ‘will consider the timing of this work at the next scheduled horizon scan meeting in June 2024.’
As the result of a Real Bread Campaign complaint, Sainsbury's removed the word 'wholemeal' from the labelling of its 50% white loaf.
As the result of a complaint by the Campaign, in December a trading standards officer advised: 'Lidl have taken the comments on board and are changing the name of their "Sourdough crusty rye bloomer" to "Crusty Wheat & Rye Bloomer".' Rather than being genuine sourdough rye bread, the product was made using 56% wheat flour and baker’s yeast.
Looking ahead
Save the date for...
- Roots to Real Bread: Networking event for current and prospective Real Bread bakers and business owners. (20 February, 6-9pm, London). We'll publish details in January.
- Real Bread Week: Our annual, international celebration of additive-free bread and the people who make it. (17-25 February, worldwide) Make your plans today!
We're also working towards publishing Bake Your Lawn, our grow-a-loaf guidebook, in February.
See also
Published Wednesday 27 December 2023
Real Bread Campaign: The Real Bread Campaign finds and shares ways to make bread better for us, better for our communities and better for the planet. Whether your interest is local food, community-focussed small enterprises, honest labelling, therapeutic baking, or simply tasty toast, everyone is invited to become a Campaign supporter.
