As we have outlined on the Real Bread Campaign website, some processing aids available on the market for use in the baking industry are of GM origin, whilst others are known allergens.
Although food labelling law allows processing aids to go undeclared, allergens and substances of GM origin used in food production do have to be listed.
But not all of them.
Having contacted the Food Standards Agency for clarification, we have learnt the following:
Allergens: as they are not on the list of specified allergens*, enzymes derived from fungal sources do not have to be listed. So, even though it has been found to cause an allergic reaction in some people, fungal alpha amylase does not have to be listed.
Genetically Modified Organisms: Processing aids do not fall within the scope of the GM food and feed regulations (EC/1829/2003). Therefore, even if the production of a loaf involves a processing aid that is an enzyme produced by a GM fungus or bacterium, the label does not have to declare so. The same applies to enzymes from non-GM fungi and bacteria that are cultured on material of GM origin.
It’s now pretty certain that production of any factory loaf could involve the use of processing aids. We are assured by The Federation of Bakers that their members use nothing of animal origin unless stated on the label but as for processing aids, they are remaining tight-lipped.
If any of this is concern and if you are lucky enough to have a local baker, we suggest you pop round and have a chat. He or she should be able to let you know exactly what is and isn’t used in their bread. Hopefully, you’ll find that they are baking Real Bread (see our Real Bread Finder for more) without the use of any processing aids or artificial anything.
* Allergen labelling regulation means that the use in food of wheat, rye, barley, oats, crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, fish, lupin, peanuts, nuts, soybeans, milk, celery, mustard, sesame and sulphur dioxide (at levels above 10mg/kg or 10 mg/litre) and any derivatives thereof must be listed on the label.
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Statement from the Real Bread Campaign on the possible use of unlabelled processing aids in factory bread
19 May 2009
After repeated questioning by letter and email, the Real Bread Campaign at last has secured confirmation from The Federation of Bakers that nothing of animal or GM origin is used by any federation member in the manufacture of any product unless clearly stated on the label. The statement covers ingredients, additives and processing aids.
Further to this, copies of communications from the federation’s three largest member companies* have been passed to the Real Bread Campaign, each company confirming that it does not use enzymes of animal or GM origin at all.
Whilst the Real Bread Campaign welcomes the opportunity to share this clarification with British consumers, we are saddened that neither the federation of any of its member companies took the chance to reply to the Real Bread Campaign or the Real Food Festival with such unequivocal answers when we first put the question to each of them in a letter of 2 April.
We are further disappointed that the federation has not accepted any of our four written invitations to confirm that none of its member companies is using unlabelled processing aids in the manufacture of its products.
We therefore draw the following conclusions:
· Federation members may be using unlabelled processing aids.
· The federation has no intention of phasing out the use of processing aids.
· The federation has no intention of taking the voluntary step of declaring the use of processing aids on product labels.
We have again put these possibilities to the federation and await their reply.
Consumers in search of Real Bread made with all natural ingredients and no artificial additives or processing aids can search for their nearest local supply using the Real Bread Finder at http://www.realbreadcampaign.org/
The Real Bread Campaign
* The three largest members of The Federation of Bakers are Allied Bakeries, Premier Foods (Hovis) and Warburtons, with WD Irwin & Sons Limited, Frank Roberts & Sons Limited, Fine Lady Bakeries Limited, Delifrance (UK) Ltd. and William Jackson & Son Limited completing the membership.
After repeated questioning by letter and email, the Real Bread Campaign at last has secured confirmation from The Federation of Bakers that nothing of animal or GM origin is used by any federation member in the manufacture of any product unless clearly stated on the label. The statement covers ingredients, additives and processing aids.
Further to this, copies of communications from the federation’s three largest member companies* have been passed to the Real Bread Campaign, each company confirming that it does not use enzymes of animal or GM origin at all.
Whilst the Real Bread Campaign welcomes the opportunity to share this clarification with British consumers, we are saddened that neither the federation of any of its member companies took the chance to reply to the Real Bread Campaign or the Real Food Festival with such unequivocal answers when we first put the question to each of them in a letter of 2 April.
We are further disappointed that the federation has not accepted any of our four written invitations to confirm that none of its member companies is using unlabelled processing aids in the manufacture of its products.
We therefore draw the following conclusions:
· Federation members may be using unlabelled processing aids.
· The federation has no intention of phasing out the use of processing aids.
· The federation has no intention of taking the voluntary step of declaring the use of processing aids on product labels.
We have again put these possibilities to the federation and await their reply.
Consumers in search of Real Bread made with all natural ingredients and no artificial additives or processing aids can search for their nearest local supply using the Real Bread Finder at http://www.realbreadcampaign.org/
The Real Bread Campaign
* The three largest members of The Federation of Bakers are Allied Bakeries, Premier Foods (Hovis) and Warburtons, with WD Irwin & Sons Limited, Frank Roberts & Sons Limited, Fine Lady Bakeries Limited, Delifrance (UK) Ltd. and William Jackson & Son Limited completing the membership.
Monday, 18 May 2009
Getting an upper crust upper crust
For some, the mention of Real Bread conjures up the image of an artisan loaf with a chewy, uneven crumb, toasty brown base and lacquer-like upper crust. That these characteristics are rarely spotted in the domestic loaf is reason enough for some to dismiss home baking as not able to produce what they see as Real Bread.
Although the Real Bread Campaign’s basic definition is more inclusive than this, believing that any loaf made with all natural ingredients is Real Bread, it sounded like a fun challenge. Here is the report from my latest attempt.
Once you find the right recipe, it’s not all that difficult for anyone with some experience of basic bread making to get the texture right, or a make a passable version of it. Several of the books listed in the soon-to-be-launched companions section of our website give such recipes.
The parts that are really difficult to achieve at home are that dark base and the glossy crust as, simply put, domestic cookers are pretty crap for baking fantastic bread. Firstly you need dizzyingly high levels of heat to evaporate moisture in the dough quickly enough in the first few minutes of baking to generate steam. The oven also must be close enough to airtight as to trap the majority of this steam to turn the outside the dough into a gel, a bit like the glossy skin of a Chinese steamed bun. This done, the heat will take care of the crust.
The ideal bit of kit is a wood-fired, brick and clay oven, which does all of the above. The oversight on the part of my landlords to install one of these in my flat in Shepherd’s Bush means I had to improvise. Here’s what I came up with. I inverted a large, thick walled stock pot (a cast iron casserole dish would do the trick) onto my pizza stone (it was a present, okay?), put them into the oven and whacked it up as high as it would go (in reality, about 20 degrees less than the 250°C it says on the dial) for twenty minutes to get up to temperature.
With the help of my gorgeous assistant (I really wanted to be a magician when I grew up), quickly as possible, I pulled out the oven shelf, lifted the pot, slid the loaf underneath, replaced the pot, slid the shelf back in and closed the oven door.
Fifteen minutes later, I whipped off the pot, closed the oven door, turned it down to about 190°C and left my loaf to bake for another half an hour.
The results? Not bad: although my oven won’t ever get up to the sort of temperature needed to get the taste of the base right, my upper crust was glossy and crispy.
If you enter into similar crusty breadventures yourself, we’d love to hear how you get on.
Chris Young
Although the Real Bread Campaign’s basic definition is more inclusive than this, believing that any loaf made with all natural ingredients is Real Bread, it sounded like a fun challenge. Here is the report from my latest attempt.
Once you find the right recipe, it’s not all that difficult for anyone with some experience of basic bread making to get the texture right, or a make a passable version of it. Several of the books listed in the soon-to-be-launched companions section of our website give such recipes.
The parts that are really difficult to achieve at home are that dark base and the glossy crust as, simply put, domestic cookers are pretty crap for baking fantastic bread. Firstly you need dizzyingly high levels of heat to evaporate moisture in the dough quickly enough in the first few minutes of baking to generate steam. The oven also must be close enough to airtight as to trap the majority of this steam to turn the outside the dough into a gel, a bit like the glossy skin of a Chinese steamed bun. This done, the heat will take care of the crust.
The ideal bit of kit is a wood-fired, brick and clay oven, which does all of the above. The oversight on the part of my landlords to install one of these in my flat in Shepherd’s Bush means I had to improvise. Here’s what I came up with. I inverted a large, thick walled stock pot (a cast iron casserole dish would do the trick) onto my pizza stone (it was a present, okay?), put them into the oven and whacked it up as high as it would go (in reality, about 20 degrees less than the 250°C it says on the dial) for twenty minutes to get up to temperature.
With the help of my gorgeous assistant (I really wanted to be a magician when I grew up), quickly as possible, I pulled out the oven shelf, lifted the pot, slid the loaf underneath, replaced the pot, slid the shelf back in and closed the oven door.
Fifteen minutes later, I whipped off the pot, closed the oven door, turned it down to about 190°C and left my loaf to bake for another half an hour.
The results? Not bad: although my oven won’t ever get up to the sort of temperature needed to get the taste of the base right, my upper crust was glossy and crispy.
If you enter into similar crusty breadventures yourself, we’d love to hear how you get on.
Chris Young
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Title: insert bread related pun here
Fuelled by organic muesli, Radio 4 musings and the copy of Guardian columnists they came to the Real Bread Campaign stand at the Real Food Festival. Actually, although of foodie persuasion, the crowd was a little more mixed than that.At the kind invitation of the festival organisers, our mission there was to share with the assembled masses the delights of Real Bread over adulterated imitations. Even though this was very much a home match, the overwhelmingly positive response that we received was heartening.
My interview with Channel 4 news on the campaign in the can, the first morning continued with a steady stream of interest from press and other visitors. Lunchtime saw me sharing a mike with the likes of Henrietta Green, Trevor Gulliver and Simon Majumdar at the Rude Health stand for a short rant on the subjects of our choosing. Unsurprisingly, my “preaching to the converted” (it’s a fair cop, Sarahdotcom, quoted in Word of Mouth) was born of our belief that the use of unlabelled processing aids in factory bread is just plain wrong, whatever the labelling regs say.
Proof, if it were needed, that the festival goers were believers in our aims and the processing aids issue in particular came courtesy of our petition to the big bakers for labelling transparency. A few weeks before the show, the Real Bread Campaign had joined forces with the organisers in penning a letter to the Federation of Bakers. In it, we invited the federation’s members, which collectively account for around 80% of UK bread production, to confirm that they do not use hidden processing aids in the manufacture of their products or to own up and clean up. Sadly, they did neither.
Fast forward to the festival and people were falling over themselves to sign. It was a job for members of our team to get halfway through the story before the pen was flying. Saturday alone saw 200 signatures, with the weekend total approaching 400 names.
Added to this Thomasina Miers and Clodagh McKenna offering recipes to the campaign and Raymond Blanc asking for our services in finding a supplier of breadmaking flour milled from wheat grown in Oxford, my first time out on the Real Bread Campaign roadshow was highly rewarding. I look forward to the next.
Right. I’m off to the kitchen with the bread donated to decorate our stand by Flour Power City, de Gustibus and K & S Bakery to come up with the leftover recipes that Love Food, Hate Waste want for their website.
Chris Young
Friday, 1 May 2009
Coming soon
The Real Bread Campaign will be starting to blog here soon.
Please visit http://www.realbreadcampaign.org/ for more details, to find Real Bread near you and to sign up for Breadcrumbs, our monthly e-newsletter.
For more frequent updates, please join the Real Bread Campaign group on facebook.
In the meantime, here's a bit about what we're about.
OUR MANIFESTO
Toast, sandwiches, chleb, bagels, naan, injera, wraps, pizza, pitta, pida...
However you enjoy yours, the Real Bread Campaign is fighting for a return to bread that is:
- Better for you
- Better for your community
- Better for the planet
How does the campaign work?
The Real Bread Campaign works to make Real Bread accessible to all, linking together bakers and consumers in:
· Stimulating demand – sharing with consumers the benefits of Real Bread over industrially-produced substitutes.
· Stimulating local supply – encouraging and supporting baking in schools, homes and local communities.
You can find out where to buy Real Bread in your area at our website: http://www.realbreadcampaign.org/
What is Real Bread?
The only essential ingredients of leavened bread are:
· Flour
· Water
· Yeast (cultured or naturally occurring)
· A small amount of salt (optional)
The making of Real Bread does not involve the use of any artificial additives, preservatives, flavourings, colourings or processing aids.
Any additional ingredients must be natural e.g. seeds, nuts, cheese, herbs, oils, fats and dried fruits, which themselves contain no artificial additives.
The gold standard is reached by Real Bread that:
· Is made with not only refined white flour (the inclusion of stoneground flour is preferable)
· Involves fermentation of at least four hours
· Is produced in one continuous process i.e. no part baking or freezing of the dough
The Real Bread Campaign also celebrates the use of certified organic and locally produced ingredients.
What about the supermarkets?
Whilst the Real Bread Campaign is striving for an invigoration of local, artisan production of Real Bread with the economic, environmental and social benefits this will bring, we recognise that around 95% of bread consumed in the UK is industrially produced.
As well as finding ways to bring Real Bread within reach of everyone, the Real Bread Campaign also works to convince industrial manufacturers to return to the production of Real Bread and fights for honest and transparent labelling regulations and practices in the meantime.
What can I do?
For more information, to recommend or search for Real Bread near you and to sign up for Real Bread Campaign email updates, please visit: http://www.realbreadcampaign.org/
Le pain se leve!
The Real Bread Campaign is co-ordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.
Please visit http://www.realbreadcampaign.org/ for more details, to find Real Bread near you and to sign up for Breadcrumbs, our monthly e-newsletter.
For more frequent updates, please join the Real Bread Campaign group on facebook.
In the meantime, here's a bit about what we're about.
OUR MANIFESTO
Toast, sandwiches, chleb, bagels, naan, injera, wraps, pizza, pitta, pida...
However you enjoy yours, the Real Bread Campaign is fighting for a return to bread that is:
- Better for you
- Better for your community
- Better for the planet
How does the campaign work?
The Real Bread Campaign works to make Real Bread accessible to all, linking together bakers and consumers in:
· Stimulating demand – sharing with consumers the benefits of Real Bread over industrially-produced substitutes.
· Stimulating local supply – encouraging and supporting baking in schools, homes and local communities.
You can find out where to buy Real Bread in your area at our website: http://www.realbreadcampaign.org/
What is Real Bread?
The only essential ingredients of leavened bread are:
· Flour
· Water
· Yeast (cultured or naturally occurring)
· A small amount of salt (optional)
The making of Real Bread does not involve the use of any artificial additives, preservatives, flavourings, colourings or processing aids.
Any additional ingredients must be natural e.g. seeds, nuts, cheese, herbs, oils, fats and dried fruits, which themselves contain no artificial additives.
The gold standard is reached by Real Bread that:
· Is made with not only refined white flour (the inclusion of stoneground flour is preferable)
· Involves fermentation of at least four hours
· Is produced in one continuous process i.e. no part baking or freezing of the dough
The Real Bread Campaign also celebrates the use of certified organic and locally produced ingredients.
What about the supermarkets?
Whilst the Real Bread Campaign is striving for an invigoration of local, artisan production of Real Bread with the economic, environmental and social benefits this will bring, we recognise that around 95% of bread consumed in the UK is industrially produced.
As well as finding ways to bring Real Bread within reach of everyone, the Real Bread Campaign also works to convince industrial manufacturers to return to the production of Real Bread and fights for honest and transparent labelling regulations and practices in the meantime.
What can I do?
For more information, to recommend or search for Real Bread near you and to sign up for Real Bread Campaign email updates, please visit: http://www.realbreadcampaign.org/
Le pain se leve!
The Real Bread Campaign is co-ordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.
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