As a nation, we happily munch our way through seven million loaves a day – not to mention countless rolls, sandwiches and croissants – but most of it has been mass-produced and had all the goodness stripped out of it.
While bread is still a fundamental part of our diet – in the UK three quarters of us eat it every day in one form or another – almost 80 per cent of all the bread sold in this country originates from just a handful of industrial bakers using methods
that have little regard for the nutritional qualities or the environmental impact of its production.
Since the early 1960s, most of the bread we consume has been produced using something called the Chorleywood Bread Process, a bread-making method that uses a cocktail of additives, preservatives and yeast to speed up the baking process.
It results in a loaf that's cheap and light and which will stay soft for days on end but with hardly any of the nutritional benefits of a traditional loaf.
When you factor in the environmental cost of transporting all these loaves around the country and the fact that 45 million polythene bread wrappers are discarded and sent to landfill every week, it's easy to understand why people are campaigning for more locally produced bread without any of the damaging consequences of its industrially-produced counterpart.
Andrew Whitley, a founder member of the Real Bread Campaign, wants to encourage more of us to either bake our own bread or support a local bakery.
"A traditional loaf is better for you, better for your community and better for our planet," he argues.
"Many people I speak to are horrified when they find out what is actually in their daily bread. Bread should be the staff of life, but the label on the average loaf reads more like the recipe for a scientific experiment than the ingredients of a staple food."
To help people find a more nutritious loaf, the Real Bread Campaign (
www.realbreadcampaign.org) has launched a Real Bread Finder on its website.
Simply type in your post code and it'll tell you where to find your nearest artisan baker. Of course, there's nothing stopping you having a go yourself – especially as all you need is flour, water, yeast, some salt and arms like Popeye's – but either way you'll be enjoying a healthier and much tastier loaf.
