Sourdough hijacking by loaf fabricators
The Association of Bakery Ingredient Manufacturers, Federation of Bakers, Craft Bakers Association, The British Sandwich and Food To Go Association and Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association have come together and presented Defra with a proposed ‘UK Baking Industry Code of Practice for the Labelling of Sourdough Bread and Rolls’. In doing so they clearly seek to exploit the belief that “it is not at all certain that the majority of the bread-buying public are aware what ‘sourdough’ is, how it is produced, or what its typical characteristics should be.” The motivation comes from a recognition that a revival in the market for sourdough bakery products shows little sign of abating.
The purported aim of the Code is to “clarify the term and prevent misinformation when it is applied to products in the UK bakery market”. The reality, however, is quite different and represents a sourfaux or pseudough charter.