Warburtons drops ‘wholemeal’ from 50% white loaf name

Warburtons is the latest manufacturer to change the marketing of a 50% white flour product following a Real Bread Campaign investigation into apparent breaches of Regulation 6 of the Bread and Flour Regulations.

In January 2024, the Campaign became aware that the company had renamed its ‘Half White Half Wholemeal’ loaf as ‘Half & Half’.

This follows Iceland discontinuing its '50% White and Wholemeal' in January 2023, and Sainsbury's relabelling its 'Both in One' in October 2023 to remove the word wholemeal after trading standards invervention.

Warburtons, however, continues to use the word 'wholemeal' prominently in marketing the product, notably on the front of pack, immediately below the product name.

Background

Regulation 6 of The Bread and Flour Regulations (1998) requires that: 'There shall not be used in the labelling or advertising of bread, as part of the name of the bread, whether or not qualified by other words […] the word 'wholemeal' unless all the flour used as an ingredient in the preparation of the bread is wholemeal.’

In June 2022, the Real Bread Campaign began investigating high-profile companies using the word wholemeal to name and/or market products manufactured with 50% non-wholemeal flour, in apparent breach of the Bread and Flour Regulations. 

The Campaign subsequently sent a complaint to the trading standards department of the local authority with the Primary Authority relationship with each of the companies that declined to change its product’s name.

In July 2023, the Campaign began investigating companies using non-wholemeal flour in products with wholemeal in their names.

See also

• Loaf fabricators challenge ‘all flour must be wholemeal’ law
• Real Bread Campaign wholemeal proposal to be adopted
• Big Bakers held to account over wholemeal marketing
• Wholegrain definition kicked into the long grass