New Bake Off judge Prue Leith has offered her support for the Real Bread Campaign’s Honest Crust Act to protect the provenance of artisan bread.

Leith, who is a patron of Sustain, the charity that runs the Real Bread Campaign, said consumers should know what is in the bread they eat.

“The Real Bread Campaign’s call for better labelling legislation will help small, local bakeries thrive,” said Leith.

Real Bread Campaign co-ordinator Chris Young exclusively told British Baker it is set to launch a new action in early September as part of its Honest Crust Act drive.

In April, the campaign sent a letter to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) stating Brexit offered a “unique” opportunity for the government to review and update British loaf labelling and marketing legislation.

“Such an ‘Honest Crust Act’ would help to create a more level playing field on which small, local, independent bakeries will stand a better chance of thriving,” Young said in the letter.

And earlier this month, the campaign gave its views on the legal definition of wholegrain, which is part of the group’s call for an Honest Crust Act.

“There is no legal definition for what wholegrain is. This allows marketers to use the healthy halo of wholegrain to promote products that have very little nutritional value.”

The Real Bread Campaign will next month be running #SourdoughSeptember for a fifth successive year.

Meanwhile, Leith will appear alongside Paul Hollywood on the judging panel of the new Channel 4 series of the Great British Bake Off tonight (29 August) from 8pm.