Asda admits 'freshly baked daily' claim is stale

In April 2021, Asda announced it would no longer bake bread fresh from scratch at any of its sites. In July 2024, the Real Bread Campaign submitted a complaint to West Yorkshire Joint Services (WYJS) about Asda’s ‘The Bakery’ marketing, including signage claiming ‘freshly baked daily’.

On 22 October 2024, a trading standards officer at WYJS advised the Campaign: “I have been told [the signage] should have been removed by the store several years ago.” The Campaign thanked WYJS, which has the Primary Authority relationship with Asda for trading standards, asking for updates on all other elements of the complaint. 

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Other cases

• July 2024: Morrisons admitted it was using the claim ‘made from scratch in our in store bakery’ to market products that were not made from scratch in store.
• September 2024: Co-op admitted it was using the claim ‘freshly baked today’ to market ready-made, ‘thaw and serve’ products, and promised to stop making this inaccurate claim. The company's Primary Authority also advised Co-op that it should give shoppers clarity on when a ‘freshly prepared’ product was re-baked. 

The Campaign also continues to pursue similar complaints about most of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, and to lobby for an Honest Crust Act of updated and improved composition, labelling and marketing standards and guidance.

As yin to the yang (or vice versa) of challenging obstacles to the rise of Real Bread, the Campaign’s championing work includes the launch this week of a search for primary schools teaching children to make Real Bread, and serving it with meals.

The facts

Bread-type products sold in ‘The Bakery’ at Asda are now manufactured at central production units, chilled or frozen for transport and storage, and then merely re-baked in stores at a later date. One or more of these products are manufactured outside the UK. Asda chooses to hide the truth from shoppers, or at least not to declare these material facts at point of sale.

The company chooses to further influence shoppers’ buying choices with marketing that does not accurately reflect the reality of when, where, how and by whom products were manufactured. The Campaign complained that Asda was presenting products in small-bakery-style shelving and baskets and using claims including:

• Signage picturing a loaf, accompanied by the claim ‘freshly baked daily’ (in store, seen in Salford and Lewisham)
• ‘Visit the ASDA in store bakery and grab yourself a freshly baked treat.’ (online)
• ‘There's nothing better than freshly baked goods and our bakery is full of delicious breads, cakes and crumpets you and your family will love.’ (online)
• ‘Baked in store.’ (product packaging)

For the benefit of shoppers and business owners

Real Bread Campaign coordinator Chris Young said: “Though we prefer to see skilled bakers making genuinely fresh, Real Bread for people in their local communities, the aim of our investigations is not to stop retailers selling re-baked products. We’re doing this to ensure companies provide accurate information and market products honestly, helping enable people to make better-informed food buying choices.” He added: “Once you have the knowledge, if you still want to buy a product because it’s in front of you, apparently cheap, and you like the flavour – go for it.”

Re-baking products in store is not the same as making/baking bread fresh from scratch. In common with items that have been rehydrated, repainted, or reheated, it is of consequence that the process has been repeated.  Re-baking products uses around twice as much energy as baking them, which has negative environmental implications. Re-baked products tend to stale more quickly, and so are more likely to be wasted at a cost to the buyer and, again, the environment.

Re-baking products in loaf-tanning salons does not offer the same skilled employment opportunities in a store’s local community that fresh baking does. This is of great significance in terms of business competitiveness and consumer choice, even more so in the case of products that are manufactured outside the UK. 

Current governmental guidance advises: ‘Terms such as “freshly baked”, “baked in store” and “oven fresh” may mislead consumers into believing that they are being offered products that have been freshly produced on site from basic raw materials. Some stores sell bread made from part-baked products that have been packed in an inert atmosphere or frozen off-site then “baked off” at in-store bakeries.

Use of terms like “freshly baked”, “baked in store” and “oven fresh” on these products could potentially infringe the general legal provisions…’

See also

• Asda withdraws ad claims after Real Bread Campaign complaint
• Aldi apologises for Real Bread Week hijack
• Warburtons drops ‘wholemeal’ from 50% white loaf name
• Lidl ‘sourdough rye’ rebrand
• Sainsbury’s forced to re-label 50% white loaf
• Costco sourfaux