Bread regs: light at the end of the tunnel?

On 22 October 2024, Defra emailed ‘interested parties’, including members of the Bread and Flour Technical Working Group, regarding long-awaited amendments to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998. 

“Subject to parliamentary processes, Defra are now finalising plans to lay this legislation in the forthcoming coming [sic.] weeks to:

• Introduce the mandatory addition of folic acid to non-wholemeal wheat flour at a minimum level of 250 micrograms folic acid per 100grams of flour to reduce incidences of Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) in foetuses
• Make technical amendments to the existing regulations to improve clarity, reduce burdens and modernise enforcement.

Provisions will include a 24-month transition period for implementation of new requirements. We will be continuing discussions on implementation and accompanying guidance for new requirements with relevant stakeholders. We will provide an update again when the final legislation is published.”

The ‘technical amendments’ include that ‘common’ wheat (Triticum aestivum) flour produced by mills producing less than 500 tonnes of flour a year, and/or flour milled from ‘other’ wheats (such as spelt, einkorn, emmer and durum) will be exempt from the UK’s mandatory ‘fortification’ requirements.

Real Bread Campaign coordinator Chris Young said: “We welcome the news that, following the postponement back in July, people in the UK who want non-wholemeal wheat flour might soon find it easier to buy, albeit only very slightly. We are, however, concerned that the announcement reads as if there might be further delay to the accompanying guidance.”

In January 2024, Defra advised that use of the word wholemeal will be included in the new guidance. In light of this, trading standards officers investigating more than ten cases of the word wholemeal to market products made using non-wholemeal flour (some of which date back to summer 2022) put them on hold pending this promised advice.

What the amendments won't do

The Real Bread Campaign maintains that this was a missed opportunity to fully review and overhaul outdated regulations related to bread and flour, and continues to lobby for updated and improved composition, labelling and marketing standards.

The proposals include full ingredient (and additive) labelling, and legal definitions of terms including wholegrain, sourdough, artisan, and freshness claims.

See also

Loaf fabricators challenge ‘all flour must be wholemeal’ law