Food Standards Agency
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Bakers' salt in bread calculator launched
Craft bakers can use a new online calculator to reduce the amount of salt in their bread which could help to improve their customers' health. A quick guide to reducing salt in bread is also available.
These tools have been produced following research by the FSA, the National Association of Master Bakers and Norfolk County Council that looked at whether the craft bakery sector could reduce salt in bread and meet FSA 2012 salt targets.
The calculator and quick guide can be used by bakers to see the amount of salt in their final bread product. Bakers just need to identify how much flour and salt they use – in grams, pounds or ounces. They can then see where they are in relation to the 2012 salt target for bread – 1g of salt per 100g of final product – and see how they can make reductions towards that target.
The salt in bread calculator and ‘Reducing salt in bread’ quick guide, which includes testimonials from craft bakers about the tested recipes, can be found at the links towards the end of this page.
Recipe changes
The research looked at whether salt could be reduced in bread made in the craft bakery sector, and identified recipe changes that would allow the production of bread in line with the salt targets. The recipes were tested in commercial craft bakers’ premises, in different locations, with different bread-making processes.
The results show that reducing salt levels to the voluntary target:
- is easily achievable
- should not affect the rest of your recipes
- is acceptable to customers
Research also showed that bakers can reduce the level of salt in bread by 25% over six weeks and customers will not notice the difference.
So, if you’re a craft baker and you want to make a real difference to the health of your customers, while maintaining the quality of your bread, use the calculator or the quick guide at the links below to calculate the levels of salt in your bread and gradually reduce them.
More information about the research and its results can be found at the links towards the end of this page.
What is a craft baker?
A craft baker is a skilled craftsman or craftswoman who produces a traditional range of baked bread. This could include a wholemeal loaf, a cottage loaf, white crusty bloomers, or rolls, for example. A craft baker usually supplies direct to the consumer through one or more shops.
About salt
Bread is an important part of the diet and a good source of nutrients and fibre – but, because we eat it so frequently, it contributes a significant amount of salt to our diet.
In the UK we are eating far too much salt, and high salt diets result in high blood pressure, leading to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. So the Agency is working successfully with industry to reduce the levels of salt in 80 categories of food to help reduce people’s daily intake. We have set a voluntary salt reduction target for bread of 1g salt /100g final product by 2012.
People should aim to eat no more than 6g per day, less for children.
