I must admit to not understanding Andrew Whitley, author of Bread Matters. It would be different if he was pushing the virtues of wholegrain and bulk fermentation, but he seems to be on some crusade to denigrate the whole of the milling and baking industry. I don’t think he is in full possession of all the facts.

He conjures up a view that everything in the past was good and everything today is bad, creating a moral high ground.

Large bakeries and roller milling are not bad, just efficient. With efficiency comes consistency, good process controls, good standards of hygiene and care in production for a highly demanding industry to feed an equally demanding consumer.

Things are changing because of market demands and a better understanding of what good health really is.

There will be some ingredients that may be reduced, some have limits set and some even taken out, but that is evolution of a mature industry.

The industry is moving towards clean-label and products with inclusions, such as calcium or Omega 3. This is not cynical marketing, it is an opportunity for families to add things back into their diet which they are missing from elsewhere.

What planet is Whitley living on to suggest economics, market forces and competitive pricing are not arguments? I think we are all for Fairtrade, local sourcing and ethical trading. I do not believe we have lost the public’s trust in bread; scaremongering will do nobody any favours.

Jonathan Brace

Operations director

Brace’s Bakery

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