Bread is one of the UK’s favourite foods, with 99% of households buying bread and the equivalent of nearly 12 million loaves are sold every day. Bread is an excellent source of carbohydrates, B vitamins, protein and calcium; white bread is a major source of calcium in the diet. It is also a main sources of fibre.
Over 200 different kinds of bread are produced in the UK: butter rich brioche, crisp baguettes, farmhouse loaves and focaccia, soft ciabatta, crumpets and croissants. This diversity is only possible because of the vast range and quality of British flour available.
Men eat bread more frequently than women: 44% of men eat bread twice a day compared with 25% of women
76% of the bread we eat is white and sandwiches account for up to 50% of this consumption.
Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the first slice-and-wrap bread machine in 1928. By 1933 80% of all bread sold in the US was sliced and wrapped the phrase ‘the best thing since sliced bread’ came up for the first time. Sliced bread was introduced into the UK in the mid 1930’s.