Making a healthy crust
This project, entitled ‘Making a Healthy Crust’, aimed to raise awareness of salt levels amongst bread manufacturers within South Gloucestershire and to encourage them to achieve the reduction targets for bread set by the Food Standards Agency*.
In April 2007 the food team at South Gloucestershire ran a small sampling program to examine the levels of salt in bread manufactured and/or sold within the region, which they then followed up helping local businesses to reformulate their recipes to reduce salt levels.
Aims and Objectives
The main aim of the project is to reduce the overall salt content of bread products manufactured and sold within South Gloucestershire to within the limits sets as a voluntary target by the FSA (Hyperlink), bread was chosen as it makes a significant contribution to the diet. This project contributes towards the UK health agenda of decreasing salt consumption to within the recommended daily allowance of 6g.and also contributes to 2 of the 6 key themes of South Gloucestershire's Sustainable Community Strategy, which are: Threats to health and; Lifestyle, physical activity and obesity
Partners
South Gloustershire Council and
- Whitestones Bakery in Kingswood
- Hobbs House Bakery
Methodology
Stage 1: Sampling
Loaves of unsliced bread were purchased from outlets throughout South Gloucestershire and submitted to the laboratory for analysis to determine salt levels. The results received showed a wide range of salt levels from as little as 0.64g per 100g to 1.65g per 100g. The FSA’s target for 2012 is currently a maximum of 0.93g per 100g.
We wrote to each of the premises concerned and told them their results as well as explaining the importance of reducing salt in the diet. We mentioned the names of those businesses that have already achieved the FSA’s targets. In addition we offered our assistance in resampling products they produced where they had reduced salt contents.
As a result of the letter Whitestones Bakery in Kingswood reformulated their recipe and reduced their salt content from 1.65g to 0.79g per 100g. We spoke with the proprietor who told us that it had no effect on sales and he’d received no complaints. Although he did have to make slight alteration to cooking times and yeast levels as the salt does serve a technical function in the production of bread.
Another business called Hobbs House Bakery contacted us and asked us to resample products where they had made a 10% reduction in salt content and wanted to confirm that the levels met their calculations.
Further sampling of breads has shown that some businesses have made reductions without contacting us and we will continue to monitor salt levels in bread over the next year.
Stage 2: Salt in Bread Survey - Chipping Sodbury Farmers Market
Further work with Hobbs House included carrying out a survey at the farmers market in Chipping Sodbury to determine if consumers preferred a bread with a higher or lower salt content.
On Thursday 30th October two members of South Gloucestershire’s Food & Health team attended Chipping Sodbury Farmers Market to carry out some customer research on salt in bread. This formed part of a project that aims to encourage food manufacturers, (in this case bakers) to reduce the amount of salt used in their products.
The objective of the survey was to determine whether the consumer preferred bread with a higher or lower salt content. Working with Hobbs House Bakery of Chipping Sodbury two breads were produced with 1.4g per 100g and 0.8g per 100g. Members of the public at the market were asked to taste the bread (with or without a bit of jam) and give their opinion. After they had said which they preferred, if either, the difference was explained.
56 people tasted the breads and only 3 people said they preferred the bread with a higher salt content, 18 preferred the lower salt bread and 35 said they tasted the same.
These results are significant as many bread producers fear that customers may not like their products if they reduce the amount of salt put in them. This exercise demonstrates that bread can be produced that achieves the FSA’s targets and that consumers will find it more than acceptable.
Promotion
We have promoted the project to councillors via internal bulletins and to businesses via our biannual newsletter. We intend to do a press release once we have received some tangible results from the businesses and promote the positive angle.
Resources
One of the advantages of this type of project is that it uses resources currently at our disposal. The sampling was carried out as part of our routine sampling program and the results followed up and discussed with the businesses much like we would do with any other samples.
Evaluation
In terms of cross borough bread salt levels the project will continue to run over the next year and we will resample products to continue to monitor any effect that our intervention has had. The project will be considered a success if it gets more businesses to reduce the salt contents of their products. The ultimate goal would be that all our local manufacturers achieve the FSA’s salt targets.
The programme has achieved definite results with reductions being made by many of the food businesses involved. It puts nutrition on the agenda of a lot of businesses that hadn’t given it any consideration or thought there was little that can be done. It makes good use of local authorities sampling budgets and samples can be taken by officers in the area. The samples are informal, don’t require special handling and can be frozen.
Sam Wells, director of Hobbs House Bakery said, ‘Taking part in this project has made us a lot more aware of the salt content in our products and we are committed to achieving the salt reduction target’.
Lessons Learned
So far the project has progressed quite well with some businesses making changes. Naming the businesses that were achieving the targets in the letter and showing that it can be done was particularly effective to encourage some businesses to change.
Future Developments
The FSA are now funding a project in conjunction with The Federation of Master Bakers to come up with recipes that will achieve the salt targets. These recipes can then be circulated to businesses for them to try them out.
Contact Details
Contact Name: Iain Ferris
Job Title: Food Safety & Standards Officer
Phone: 01454 863542
Email: Iain.Ferris@southglos.gov.uk
Organisation: South Gloucestershire Council
Address: Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood, Bristol
*Food Standards Agency salt targets