Marks and Spencer 'heritage wheat' claim challenged

Amongst the claims, imagery and merchandising M&S deploys to entice people to pay a premium price for the ‘M&S Collection Crafted Sourdough Baguette’, the company uses the marketing value of ‘heritage wheat’

When an ingredient is in the name of a food, or (as is the case with this product) emphasised by words, pictures or graphics on the label, a QUID (quantitative ingredients declaration) is required.

The Real Bread Campaign has written to M&S, asking which heritage variety/ies of Triticum aestivum or Triticum durum are used in this product, and where on this product’s label / packaging is the QUID to back up the company's claim.

Updates

21 March 2025: We asked M&S for an update on the company's progress in resolving this issue.

26 February 2025: We sent this follow up response to M&S:

To summarise: in marketing the ‘M&S Collection Crafted Sourdough Baguette’, your company emphasises the ingredient in question using the claim ‘made with heritage wheat’, laid over the image of a traditional wheat sheaf. This text and image combination is used on both the front and rear of the pack.

Despite deeming the ‘heritage wheat’ content to be significant enough to warrant highlighting it so prominently, in text and words, M&S does not substantiate this claim with details of which heritage wheat variety/ies the product contains. Nor does M&S give the quantitative ingredients declaration (QUID) for the ingredient. 

We asked M&S which heritage variety of wheat the product contains but M&S did not answer the question. When challenged on the absence of the mandatory QUID, M&S claimed that the company had not declared how much ‘heritage wheat’ the product contains on the grounds that ‘it is only a small proportion’.

Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 lays out that ‘it is a general principle of food law to provide a basis for consumers to make informed choices in relation to food they consume and to prevent any practices that may mislead the consumer.’ More specifically, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers requires that ‘food information shall not be misleading, particularly: (a) as to the characteristics of the food and, in particular, as to its nature, identity, properties, composition, quantity, durability, country of origin or place of provenance, method of manufacture or production.’

Article 22 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 demands that the indication of the quantity of an ingredient used in the manufacture or preparation of a food shall be required where the ingredient is emphasised on the labelling in words, pictures or graphics.

To revise our original questions, when will M&S amend the labelling of this product to include: 

1. details of the heritage variety/ies of Triticum aestivum or Triticum durum that are used in its manufacture.
2. the QUID of that heritage wheat.

As your response suggests that the amount of ‘heritage wheat’ this product contains is negligible, however, better still would be M&S agreeing that using its marketing value to promote the product is, at best, disingenuous. As such, will M&S remove the ‘heritage wheat’ claim from the labelling and other marketing in which it is used?

24 February 2025: an M&S customer service agent wrote: 'Our food technologist has advised only a small amount of Heritage wheat is used in our Sourdough bread. As it is only a small proportion there is not a quid added to the packet.
Your feedback has been passed on and this will be taken into consideration.' 

21 February 2025: In reply to the email we sent on 11 February, an M&S customer service agent wrote: 'I do not have the answer to your question at hand, I have contacted our food technologist who looks after the bakery items and forwarded your question to them. As soon as I have a response, I will let you know. This can take a few days. I will be back in contact with you as soon as I have a answer for you.'