Give bread to charities, don't sell stale loaves

New Zealand bakers should give bread to charities rather than conning consumers with stale loaves

February1, 2007

Leading baker Brumby’s has called on bread retailers to give their unsold bread to charities rather than keeping them on the shelves and selling stale loaves to unsuspecting consumers.

Brumby’s makes available $1.5 million worth of bread to charities each year with any loaves unsold at the end of each day at its 23 New Zealand stores being given away.

But Brumby’s NZ head Rachel Casley says buyers of supermarket bread are being conned into believing that the days-old loaves they are buying are fresh.

“By the time the bread reaches supermarket shelves it is likely to already be half-a-day old,” says Ms Casley.

“And it can just sit there for a couple of days getting staler until someone, believing they are getting fresh bread, buys it.

“If the supermarket followed Brumby’s lead, they could be helping charities while their customers could be certain they are buying bread baked fresh that day.

“As well, the supermarket loaves wouldn’t have to add the potentially harmful preservative 282 – used to make old bread appear fresh - which reportedly causes allergic reactions, hyperactivity and other intolerances especially in children.”

Ms Casley says Brumby’s guarantees the bread it is selling is baked that day and preservative-free.

ENDS

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