87% of supermarket loaves aren't Real Bread

Step inside for additives. Credit: www.realbreadcampaign.org CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0

Published: Wednesday 20 May 2026

Research by The Food App reveals that a mere 13% of around 600 UK supermarket products marketed as ‘bread’ contain one or more additives, so fall short of the Real Bread Campaign’s basic definition.

Real Bread Campaign coordinator Chris Young said: ‘I think that many people have at least a suspicion that the vast majority of loaves and so on sold by supermarkets are not Real Bread, as we've been highlighting for almost 18 years. These figures throw that fact into sharp relief.’ He went on to say: ‘People who want additive-free bread are better off seeking out a local, Real Bread bakery, or making their own.’

Young added that the Campaign’s ongoing mission to ensure more people have chances to choose Real Bread includes working on a response to the Government’s current School Food Standards review consultation.

When’s an additive not an additive?

In compiling their Real Bread list, The Food App team also excluded products with ‘fermented wheat flour’ on the ingredients list.

Flour cultured to generate antimicrobial levels of propionic acid is marketed to manufacturers as a ‘clean label solution’ to inhibiting mould growth and extending shelf life. In its purified form, propionic acid has to be listed by name and / or the code E280 because it is classified in the preservatives category of food additives. Despite ‘fermented flour’s preservative purpose, however, food labelling law classifies it as an ingredient, so some manufacturers choose to list it simply as ‘fermented flour’ without mentioning propionic acid: hence some suppliers referring to it as ‘label friendly’.

The Food App team also cautions that: ‘the 13% Real Bread figure should be considered an upper estimate. Our systems look at the ingredients list declared by the product’s manufacturer. Some might have been manufactured using so-called “processing aids”, which effectively are additives that companies can choose not to declare on their labels.’

Young explained: ‘if a product is manufactured using any undeclared “processing aids” it doesn’t meet our Real Bread definition. The trouble is, the law allows companies to keep them hidden from us all.’
The Campaign continues to lobby for an Honest Crust Act of updated and improved composition, labelling and marketing standards. The proposals include mandatory declaration of everything used to make every loaf, including so-called processing aids.

The Real Bread Map and Loaf Mark

While a Real Bread filter is not currently available on The Food App, people can search the Real Bread Map on the Campaign’s website. This invites bakeries worldwide to add details of where people can buy additive-free bread they make.

While out shopping, people seeking Real Bread can look for The Loaf Mark, which is now used by more than 120 licensees. No supermarket has ever signed up to use either.

About the app

Based in Norway, Beneficial Apps' founders Tormund Gerhardsen and Krishan Totland originally launched the app (Trygg Mat) in spring 2024 for the Norwegian market. In November 2025, they released a UK version as The Food App. The company is fully owned by the founders and the app is funded by user payments for a 'Plus' subscription.

The app has a choice of filters as a shortcut to specific product information (e.g. allergens, Nutri-Score, or if a product is ultra processed food – UPF – by the Nova classification). It also helps the user to look behind the label, with information on additives, including an E-number decoder.

In April 2026, Beneficial Apps contacted the Real Bread Campaign with the suggestion of creating a Real Bread filter and then, as an initial step, compiled a list on The Food App website. The Campaign is not aware of any other apps that have a similar feature.

More information about the app, including contact details, can be found on The Food App website.

Chris Young has coordinated the Real Bread Campaign since March 2009. In addition to lobbying for an Honest Crust Act of better loaf composition, labelling and marketing laws in the UK; he created and runs initiatives including: Sourdough September; Real Bread Week; Real Bread For All; Together We Rise, promoting therapeutic/social benefits of bread making; No Loaf Lost surplus reduction guidance; and Lessons in Loaf for schools. He’s the author of the Knead to Know…more microbakery handbook, Slow Dough: Real Bread recipe book and Bake Your Lawn grow-a-loaf guidebook; and edits True Loaf magazine.

From 2014-18, Chris also coordinated Sustain's London Food Link network, which included editing The Jellied Eel magazine and helping to launch and run the Urban Food Awards with the Mayor of London’s office. Chris has pulled on his judge’s wig for BOOM Awards, The Cateys, The Great Taste Awards, The Scottish Bread Championship and The World Bread Awards. In 2017, The School of Artisan Food honoured Chris with its first Fellowship, and in 2025 he was named joint Person of The Year by Slow Food in The UK.

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