This could mark the beginning of the end for traditional white bread as Marks & Spencer has announced that all its white loaves will be baked with extra fibre.
According to the retailer, sales of white bread have been in decline for some time so now M & S, who already add Vitamin D to their bread products, will ensure there is a minimum of 3g of fibre per 100g of its store-baked bread from April, reports the Telegraph.
More and more consumers are now shunning sliced white in favour of freshly baked loaves and healthier wholegrain alternatives, opting for loaves packed with extra fibre and vitamins rather than the old lunchbox favourite.
Jenny Galletly, product developer for M & S, said they came to the decision in response to growing customer demand for ‘breads with benefits’.
She told the Telegraph:
The days of the simple white loaf are numbered. We’re now adding fibre to all our bread, including white, to make a healthier bread for all the family.
By using a vitamin D yeast and adding fibre to our breads and bread rolls, we’re helping our customers boost their intake without having to make big changes to their diet.
Data from analysts IRI revealed that the UK’s three biggest brands, Warburtons, Hovis and Kingsmill, have lost a total of £121 million in bread sales in the past year.
They suggest the decline could be due to the growth of in-store bakeries, the launch of alternative morning products and the increased popularity of ‘healthier’ grain-style loaves.
However, according to Vice Munchies, this attack on our childhood staple isn’t welcomed by everyone.
Food writer and white-bread-warrior Felicity Cloake defended the pasty carb, writing in the Guardian:
White bread has a taste, and a texture all of its own, and some things, crisp butties and bacon sarnies among them, just wouldn’t be the same without it.
I have to agree, school just wouldn’t have been the same without those Milk-Roll butties would it?
