New row over ‘ill timed’ attack on salt levels in bread
The amount of salt in leading brands of bread has come under scrutiny once again after a new alert from health campaigners.
Consensus Action on Salt & Health said a survey of 294 brands found that one in four loaves contained as much salt in a single slice as a packet of crisps. The group, comprised of UK medical practitioners, called for warnings to be included on all types of bread.
However, industry figures have questioned the timing of the attack.
Just last week the Food & Drink Federation launched a tender process to identify research facilities that could help the trade meet its salt reduction commitments made in the government’s Responsibility Deal on public health.
The deal saw targets set in 2008 – most of which were hit by last year – upgraded to help cut consumers’ intake of salt by 1g a day.
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Chris Young | 02 Sep 2011 16:55
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Since its launch in November 2008, the Real Bread Campaign has encouraged all bakers to keep salt levels in their loaves down to the Food Standards Agency’s target of 1%, or below. In order to help shoppers, bakers listing their loaves on the Campaign’s Real Bread Finder are invited to note which loaves meet this target.
The Real Bread Campaign calls for the provision of full ingredients and nutritional information, including salt levels, at point of sale (e.g. on product or shelf labelling) to be made mandatory for supermarket in-store bakery and other unwrapped loaves, a position today echoed by Consensus Action on Salt and Health.
Yesterday afternoon, almost 40 Real Bread bakeries told the Campaign that between them they bake over 100 lines of Real Bread with 1% salt or less by loaf weight.
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