Doh!. Credit: www.realbreadcampaign.org CC-BY-SA-4.0
M&S relabelling thanks to Real Bread Campaign
Supermarket chain gives timescale for corrections resulting from trading standards complaint.
On 28 January 2026, a trading standards officer at London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) sent the Real Bread Campaign updates on three of its complaints about Marks & Spencer, dating back to May 2025.
Real Bread Campaign coordinator Chris Young said: ‘We welcome this news and look forward to seeing M&S introduce new labelling and marketing that is legally compliant, factually correct and free from misleading claims. It is frustrating when big corporations cause unnecessary extra work for an overstretched trading standards service, and continue profiting from people's trust during the many months it often takes to resolve cases.’
More ingredients than advertised
The update: ‘M&S state the updated labels have been approved. Implementation will be dependent on sell-through of existing stock, but the [Primary Authority] expect the revised artwork to be in market during [the first quarter] of the new financial year (April/May best estimate).’
Modern rye isn't ancient wheat
The update: ‘I have been advised by M&S via the [Primary Authority] that the revised rye flour packaging has now arrived on site with the supplier. They anticipate stock transition during February, subject to normal production and distribution timelines’.
Still unresolved
M&S cases that remain unresolved include:
- Claims on ‘only…ingredients’ loaves
- Products with ‘wholemeal’ in their names but made with non-wholemeal flours as ingredients
- ‘Baked in store today’ marketing of products manufactured elsewhere, including overseas
- A heritage wheat claim unsupported by details or the mandatory quantitative ingredient declaration
- The identity and purpose of ‘fermented wheat flour’ in baked products
With the exception of the first of these, similar cases involving other industrial dough fabricators also remain unresolved.
See also
Real Bread Campaign: Finding and sharing ways to make bread better for us, our communities and planet.
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