Morrisons is using new bakery improvers in its in-store bread to meet the Food Standards Agency’s 2012 salt targets ahead of schedule.

Bakery trading manager Andy Clegg said it had been a long project, but the new improvers meant all its ISB bread now met the 2012 targets of 1g of salt per 100g of bread. "We have changed the recipe to ensure better flavour and a better crust formation as well," said Clegg. The supermarket, which saw total sales (excluding fuel) up 9.2% in its first quarter, said in-store bakery had been performing "brilliantly".

Morrisons’ bakery sales have been tracking ahead of the latest market data. "The latest 12-week figures from Nielsen for total bakery sales, show an overall increase of 0.8% and we’re tracking ahead of that at 4.5%," said Clegg.