'Bread not suitable for UK vegetarians,' claims foodie group

Organisers of a leading food industry event are claiming much of the bread eaten in the UK is not suitable for vegetarians.

The Real Bread Campaign, which represents local, organic and artisan producers behind the Real Food Festival, an annual foodie event on 8-10 May at London’s Earl’s Court exhibition centre, this week warned bread contains added enzymes, a processing aid used to quicken the baking process. As these enzymes are destroyed in cooking, they are not required to be listed as ingredients. But about 90% of UK bread uses this baking method. And while many enzymes are extracted from plants or fungi, some are also sourced from animal products, including pig pancreas.

The revelation casts doubt on the vegetarian status of the UK’s pre-packed and in-store bakery bread, including organic, claimed Philip Lowery, director of the festival.

“This is a significant issue for vegans, vegetarians and Muslims, who I believe would be outraged if they knew this was in their bread,” said Lowery. “The curious fact about our legislation is that [the source of] these additives do not have to be declared on the label. We’ve written to the industrial bakers, asking them to voluntarily label their bread, or stop using these additives but to date we’ve had no reply.” The campaign is offering the public warning stickers to put on bread and is urging them to sign a petition against additive use.

The Vegetarian Society said consumers needed to be careful when buying bread. “People tend to assume bread is definitely vegetarian, but there’s no definite reason for that to be the case,” said spokesman Chris Olivant. “It’s practically impossible to find the source of some additives in bread, though we do believe the majority of bakers source theirs from sources suitable for vegetarians. But if there’s the slightest doubt as to the sources of processing aids, FSA guidelines state the ‘suitable for vegetarians’ symbol shouldn’t be used.”

The Federation of Bakers, which represents manufacturers of leading brands including Warburtons, Hovis and Kingsmill, said consumers should not be concerned. “UK bakers have nothing to hide. All wrapped bread produced in the UK is clearly labelled and strictly adheres to EU legislation,” said director Gordon Polson. “All wrapped bread carries a label stating it is ‘suitable for vegetarians’. This claim could not be made if the food contained any ingredients of animal origin. The enzymes are destroyed by the baking heat so are not active in the finished bread and therefore not labelled [as ingredients],” he added. “We believe all bread has a valuable contribution to make to the diet, no matter what method is used to produce it.”