13 bakers in Suffolk have been issued with Salt Aware Certificates
following a series of bread sampling by Suffolk Trading Standards.
The certificates have been issued to those bakers whose bread
met the voluntary salt levels set by the Food Standards Agency for
2012.
Trading Standards worked with Suffolk bakeries to protect
consumers who may have been unwittingly eating too much salt by
purchasing bread, where fresh products are often sold without
nutritional labeling. The bakers who participated were able
to review the salt content in their bread without compromising on
quality and the processes they used.
Suffolk Trading Standards carried out a series of sampling
stages from the bakeries, and with their agreement, ensured that
all types of bread produced met the targets. Forty samples of
locally baked bread were taken across Suffolk and analysed for salt
levels. The results showed variations from 0.32% - 1.89% salt with
an average of 1.10%. The FSA salt targets are 1.1% for 2010 and
1.0% for 2012.
Those bakeries meeting the voluntary targets by
producing bread containing less salt then 1g per 100g of bread
are:
- Crofts Bakery, Ipswich
- Finneys Bakery, Needham Market
- Crumbs Bakery, Hadleigh
- Masons Bakery, Lowestoft
- Heli’s Bakery, Lowestoft
- Roys Bake House, Lowestoft
- 5 branches of Bushells Bakeries across Lowestoft
- Bread Basket, Felixstowe
- Hursts Bakery, Clare
The project plays an important role in raising awareness that
bread is an important source of our diets and a good source of
nutrients and fibre but due to the amount we consume on a frequent
basis it is the biggest single contributor of salt in our diets. On
average bread accounts for 17-20% of our daily salt intake.
The partnership approach to working with local bakeries and
supporting them to meet consumer demand for foods whilst
understanding the challenges faced has developed the relationship
between the council and local businesses, as well as providing an
opportunity to raise awareness of salt consumption with
consumers.