The Real Bread Loaf Mark first fifty

The number of bakeries around Britain using The Real Bread Loaf Mark to let shoppers know which loaves are additive-free has just passed fifty.

Since The Loaf Mark was launched in September 2011 by Real Bread Campaign ambassadors, and renowned Real Bread bakers, Tom Herbert and Andrew Whitley, early adopters range from start-up kitchen-table microbakeries, through high-street family bakeries, to the nationally-distributed Cranks brand.

Real Bread Campaign co-ordinator Chris Young said: ‘We still call for an Honest Crust Act that requires all bakers to declare everything that goes into a loaf, and for bakers to come clean voluntarily in the meantime, but for now The Loaf Mark is a quick way for shopper to see a loaf’s additive-free.’

A survey carried out by Toluna for the Campaign found that more than 70% of Britons believe it’s unacceptable that an ingredient/additives list doesn’t have to be displayed for unwrapped loaves, and that processing aids don’t have to appear on any ingredients list. It also found that 85% of people said they thought a mark to show a loaf was additive-free would be useful.

Any baker wanting to use The Real Bread Loaf Mark must first sign an annual agreement that he/she will only use it to promote loaves made without the use of any processing aids or other artificial additives. The annual fee varies depending on the scale of the business, but for example it is only £10 for Campaign members running the smallest homebakeries; and for others it is included in the Campaign membership fee. The scheme is also open to non-members. Full details of The Loaf Mark scheme can be found at www.realbreadcampaign.org

The Real Bread Campaign is Part of the charity Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food programme. Membership of the Real Bread Campaign is open to everyone who cares about the state of bread in Britain.

ENDS

For images or more information please contact Chris Young: chris@sustainweb.org or 0203 5596 777
www.realbreadcampaign.org       twitter.com/realbread     facebook.com/realbreadcampaign

The first 52 bakeries signed up to The Real Bread Loaf Mark scheme:

A Loaf for Life
Amazing-Grains
Andy Foster
Andy's Bread @ Great Oak Foods
Artisan Bread Club
Artisan Bread Organic
Baker Steve
Bluebird Bakery
Bread and Roses
Bread of Leaven
Brucciani
Cat Lane Bakery
Chalk Hills Bakery
Cheshire Smokehouse Limited
Cinnamon Square
connors bakery
Cranks
Crannach Bakery
Crustum
Du Pain Du Van
Emma's Bread
Flour Water Salt
Food For Thought Bakery
Geraint Bakes Bread
Greenfield Bakers (LLP)
Jackie Jenkins
James & John Graham, Penrith
Jo's Loaves
Lesley's Kitchen
Mark's Bread
Pig & Pastry
Quangle Wangle Foods
Redland Village Bakery
Roots
Ruben's Bakehouse
Shrewsbury Bakehouse
Slow Food Company
Speciality Breads
St Kew Harvest farm shop
Sticky Mitts
The Bakers' Table
The Bread Lady
The breadwinner
The Bun House
The Earth's Crust Bakery
The loaf
The Moody Baker at Barnard Castle
The Old Farmhouse Bakery
The Rustic Kitchen
The Thoughtful Bread Company
Wild Bread
Zen Baker

Other current initiatives from the Real Bread Campaign include:

• Real Bread on The Menu: the Campaign’s scheme to encourage more public sector institutions (such as schools, care homes and hospitals) and food access projects (e.g. co-operative buying groups, community cafes, box schemes) around Britain to make Real Bread available.
• Bake Your Lawn: A FREE grassroots guide to support teachers and parents helping children around Britain to sow a square metre of soil with a handful of wheat in the spring and grow it, mill it, bake it, eat it, to follow the Real Bread journey from seed to sandwich on their own doorsteps.
• Knead to Know: the Real Bread starter: the Campaign’s 140 page introductory guide to success in bringing Real Bread back to the heart of your local community, available as a limited edition book or PDF download. 
• The Real Bread Loaf Mark: Want to find Real Bread? Then Look for The Loaf Mark! This is the at-a-glance assurance from a baker that a loaf is what the Campaign calls Real Bread.
• The Real Bread Finder: the only online directory dedicated to helping people find where to buy Real Bread locally. Free for bakers to add, and people to search for, places to buy Real Bread locally.

Local Food has been developed by a consortium of 15 national environmental organisations, and is managed on their behalf by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT). Supported by the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme, Local Food has distributed grants to a variety of food related projects to make locally grown food more accessible. www.localfoodgrants.org

The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) is a registered charity, incorporated by Royal Charter, to promote conservation and manage environmental programmes throughout the whole of the UK. It has established management systems for holding and distributing funds totalling more than £20 million annually to environmental projects across the UK.

The Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme was launched in November 2005 to help communities enjoy and improve their local environments. The programme funds a range of activities from local food schemes and farmers markets, to education projects teaching people about the local environment.

The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.

The Sheepdrove Trust also provides generous annual funding to the Campaign.