Kingsmill has removed a nutritional claim for its 50/50 loaf from its website and advertising following a complaint from the Real Bread Campaign to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The complaint was made in regards to Kingsmill’s marketing for its 50/50 bread, which previously stated it contained ‘50% of your daily wholegrain in 2 slices’.
The Real Bread Campaign argued that this claim is based on USDA’s dietary guidance for Americans rather than official UK recommendations. Additionally, it contended that the term ‘whole grain’ does not appear in the Great Britain Nutrition and Health Claims Register, so using it in such a context breached retained Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods.
The ASA confirmed it received the complaint and, upon contacting the advertiser, had been assured they would be removing the claim from their website and advertising, without being subject to a formal ruling. “On that basis, we resolved the case informally,” added an ASA spokesperson.
Allied Bakeries – the ABF-owned manufacturer behind Kingsmill as well as other bread brands including Allinson’s and Sunblest – also confirmed to British Baker that it had “quickly and informally” resolved the matter raised by the ASA regarding a statement on the Kingsmill website.
“As bakers we’re passionate about the role that wholegrain plays in a healthy, balanced diet and are proud that Kingsmill 50/50’s blend of white and wholemeal flour has proved so popular with families across the UK since it launched almost 20 years ago,” commented the spokesperson.
“Our focus remains on making sure that all the information Kingsmill shoppers may need is clearly and accurately declared on pack. We continue to be confident in the efficacy of all statements we make with respect to our Kingsmill 50/50 bread,” they added.
Healthy claim debates
In mid-April, the Real Bread Campaign made a request directly to Allied Bakeries that it should remove its nutritional claim for Kingsmill 50/50 loaves or amend it to say “12.7% of your recommended daily dietary fibre in 2 slices”.
The bakery firm accepted that it’s claim referred to US dietary guidelines, but it noted that there was no formal UK equivalent about how much wholegrain consumers should be eating. It also added there was no labelling reference for fibre intake in UK law, and highlighted it already uses a ‘Source of Fibre’ statement on its website.
With Allied Bakeries failing to indicate when it would be amending or removing the contested claim, the Real Bread Campaign decided to submit a complaint with the ASA and its local trading standards department of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Results of a subsequent two-week investigation were published by the ASA, leading to the action by the bread brand.
A debate surrounding use of the word ‘wholemeal’ on packaging and advertising of half and half loaves finally ended in April this year when Defra published its guidance on ‘Bread and flour: labelling and composition’. While the loaves must not be named ‘wholemeal bread’ in the labelling or advertising, the word can be used in the wider description of a product as long as it’s clear that this is in relation to the flour used as an ingredient.
Kingsmill remains the third biggest selling brand in the wrapped bread market, behind Warburtons and Hovis [NIQ GB Total Coverage data for the 52 w/e 7 September 2024]. A little over a month ago, news broke that Allied Bakeries owner ABF was in discussions with Hovis owner Endless regarding a potential merger between the two bread behemoths. An outcome of these discussions has yet to be released, including as to which company would be purchasing which.
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