Since April 1, many media outlets have echoed that from that moment on we will find “blander” and “healthier” bread at points of sale. Similarly, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) itself published a press release announcing that the rule limiting the maximum salt content in bread would come into force.
But what exactly has changed? The bread quality standard was approved in April 2019, by Royal Decree 308/2019 and entered into force on July 1, 2019, but the specific measure on salt content was postponed for almost 3 years, until last 1 April 2022, so that little by little we could adapt our production processes to the reduction of this ingredient.
The bread quality standard approved in 2019 was an update of a regulation in force for 35 years, which responded to the demand of the operators, partly represented by ASEMAC, and whose purpose was to offer the maximum guarantees to consumers in terms of the products they consume. It included measures to clearly and unequivocally define certain products such as wholemeal breads or different forms of preparation, such as artisan or sourdough bread.
The standard establishes a maximum double salt content depending on the method by which the analysis is made: “1.31 grams per 100 grams of bread (13.1 g of salt per kilogram of bread or the corresponding 0.52 g of sodium per 100 g of bread) if it is analyzed by determination of chlorides or of 1.66 grams of salt per 100 grams of bread (16.6 g of salt per kilogram of bread or the corresponding 0.66 g of sodium per 100 g of bread), if analyzed by determination of total sodium”.
This dual assessment of the salt content (chlorides or total sodium) could generate certain doubts about its application. For this reason, the companies represented in ASEMAC, since the approval of the standard in 2019, have analyzed the most appropriate measurement method, determining that it should be carried out based on the total sodium content, in order to have a legal framework. clearer and more legally secure, as the basic criterion coincides with what is established in the community regulations on consumer information (Regulation 1169/2011) and thus avoiding confusion.
Measurement of salt content should be done based on total sodium content
Will the entry into force of said limit mean that we find a “more bland” and “healthier” product? The reality is that bread per se is a complete, healthy and basic food, as well as being a magnificent complement to other foods, characterized by being a source of fiber and low in fat and saturated fat. .
Salt plays a very important role when making bread. On the one hand, it acts as a flavor enhancer, since it highlights aromas and flavors, and on the other, as a technological aid. The reduction of salt in bread leads to a less elastic dough, with a smaller volume, without tenacity or consistency and with less color. Therefore, reducing salt in bread is not an easy task.
Despite this, the bakery industry has spent years making significant efforts in innovation and reformulating its products in order to offer healthier products, although it is true that, from April 1, 2022, said products will be favored by enjoying a VAT super reduced
The reason is that the aforementioned standard set a legal precedent in terms of regulating food quality requirements, since for the first time in Spain a positive tax measure was introduced that sought to encourage consumption, with a reduced VAT rate for those products considered healthier, such as those made with cereal flours, whole grains or those with low salt content.
Reducing salt in bread leads to a less elastic dough: Reducing salt in bread is not an easy task
On the other hand, and as indicated in the press release published by MAPA, prior to the approval of this standard, the bakery sector had been voluntarily addressing the reduction of salt content in its products for years, convinced of the need to make them healthier for consumers.
In this sense, we must not forget that in 2004 ASEMAC, together with the Spanish Confederation of Bakery, Pastry, Pastry and Related Products (CEOPPAN), agreed within the framework of the NAOS Strategy, with the Ministry of Health, a reduction in the percentage of salt used in the preparation of bread, decreasing at the rate of one gram each year.
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