There is no turning back anymore. As of Friday, most of the bread we have eaten for nearly 40 years will no longer be made. And on April 8, regulations limiting the maximum amount of salt in ovens come into effect. A regulation that the Government had to delay for three years to allow bakers to adapt their recipes and packaging. What effect does this rule have on our daily life? What does the government have against salt?

The New “Bread Law”. The boom in artisan bread in recent years has put regulations regulating its quality since 1984 out of the game. As its per capita consumption fell from 57 kilos in 1998 to 31.8 kilos in 2018, the industry began using terms like “artisan” or “mother dough” (mostly torticus). That’s why in 2019 the Government approved a new regulation that clarifies the definitions and orders the country’s bakery offer.

The new text changed the legal definition of bread, its varieties, as well as the taxes imposed on it. In other words, it was a minor revolution for bakeries, bakeries and manufacturers in general. However, there was something waiting.

The last of the measures to come into force. At the last moment, the Cabinet of Ministers imposed a limit on the amount of salt that can be used to make ordinary bread. Like I said, it was a change that wasn’t in previous drafts and therefore put the industry on the wrong foot.

The new bread quality standard allowed a maximum of 13.1 g salt per kilogram of regular bread (if analyzed by chloride determination) or 16.6 g salt per kilogram (if analyzed with total sodium determination). However, in order to “prevent a situation in bread consumption and allow the manufacturing sector to change recipes”, the Government delayed its entry into force for three years. This period expires on Friday.

What does the government have against salt? Rather than salt, against excessive consumption. To get an idea, we consume an average of 9.7 grams of salt/person/day in our country, which is almost twice the amount recommended by WHO. This is one of the main factors involved in the occurrence of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and stroke.

Big hidden salt problem. Reducing salt intake has been shown to be one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to reduce the incidence of all these diseases. However, it is very difficult. It is estimated that between 70 and 75% of the salt consumed comes from food processed outside the home. This is called “hidden salt” because people are not aware of the amounts they consume.

Awareness is not working. Actually, it’s not just a question of education. Dr. Isabel Roig’s team in Barcelona has spent years studying the impact of information on the effects of salt on health and consumption. Their conclusion is that the final salt consumption is very homogeneous, regardless of the information consumers have. Therefore, it seems that the most effective measures before awareness campaigns should focus on the control of this “hidden salt” that prevents effective control of salt consumption.

A step towards food transparency. We’ve discussed a lot about highly processed foods and public administration-promoted initiatives to correct the adverse effects of the “invasion” of these products in our daily diet. This bread is just one more step in a complex fight, but quite necessary for good health.

Image | Jeremy Bezanger