Green (Living) Review: The Real Bread Loaf Mark first fifty

The number of bakeries around Britain using The Real Bread Loaf Mark to let shoppers know which loaves are additive-free has just passed fifty.

Since The Loaf Mark was launched in September 2011 by Real Bread Campaign ambassadors, and renowned Real Bread bakers, Tom Herbert and Andrew Whitley, early adopters range from start-up kitchen-table microbakeries, through high-street family bakeries, to the nationally-distributed Cranks brand.

Real Bread Campaign co-ordinator Chris Young said: ‘We still call for an Honest Crust Act that requires all bakers to declare everything that goes into a loaf, and for bakers to come clean voluntarily in the meantime, but for now The Loaf Mark is a quick way for shopper to see a loaf’s additive-free.’

A survey carried out by Toluna for the Campaign found that more than 70% of Britons believe it’s unacceptable that an ingredient/additives list doesn’t have to be displayed for unwrapped loaves, and that processing aids don’t have to appear on any ingredients list. It also found that 85% of people said they thought a mark to show a loaf was additive-free would be useful.

Any baker wanting to use The Real Bread Loaf Mark must first sign an annual agreement that he/she will only use it to promote loaves made without the use of any processing aids or other artificial additives. The annual fee varies depending on the scale of the business, but for example it is only £10 for Campaign members running the smallest homebakeries; and for others it is included in the Campaign membership fee. The scheme is also open to non-members. Full details of The Loaf Mark scheme can be found at www.realbreadcampaign.org

The Real Bread Campaign is Part of the charity Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food programme. Membership of the Real Bread Campaign is open to everyone who cares about the state of bread in Britain.

Retailers selling loaves by a baker signed up to the scheme only have to sign the agreement as well if they want to use The Loaf Mark on promotional material other than the baker’s own loaf wrapper/bag.

The first 52 bakeries signed up to The Real Bread Loaf Mark scheme:

A Loaf for Life
Amazing-Grains
Andy Foster
Andy's Bread @ Great Oak Foods
Artisan Bread Club
Artisan Bread Organic
Baker Steve
Bluebird Bakery
Bread and Roses
Bread of Leaven
Brucciani
Chalk Hills Bakery
Cheshire Smokehouse Limited
Cinnamon Square
connors bakery
Cranks
Crannach Bakery
Crustum
Du Pain Du Van
Emma's Bread
Flour Water Salt
Food For Thought Bakery
Geraint Bakes Bread
Greenfield Bakers (LLP)
Jackie Jenkins
James & John Graham, Penrith
Jo's Loaves
Lesley's Kitchen
Mark's Bread
Pig & Pastry
Quangle Wangle Foods
Redland Village Bakery
Roots
Ruben's Bakehouse
Sheffield Wholefoods / Beanies
Shrewsbury Bakehouse
Slow Food Company
Speciality Breads
St Kew Harvest farm shop
Sticky Mitts
The Bakers' Table
The Bread Lady
The breadwinner
The Bun House
The Earth's Crust Bakery
The loaf
The Moody Baker at Barnard Castle
The Old Farmhouse Bakery
The Rustic Kitchen
The Thoughtful Bread Company
Wild Bread
Zen Baker