Is bread toast?

Loaf sales slump as we ditch carbs and gluten

SLICED bread sales are plummeting as Britons turn away from carbs and gluten.

All types of bread are falling out of favour, but the biggest slump has been in massproduced white loaves, according to analysts Kantar Worldpanel.

Take-home sales of bread dipped 0.7 per cent last year to £3.7billion, while wrapped sliced bread fell 3.7 per cent to £1.4billion.

Sales of Warburtons – the biggest- selling brand – were down 12.2 per cent in volume, and 11 per cent in value to £467.2million.

The number of loaves sold by Hovis was down 4.2 per cent while Kingsmill fell by 1.4 per cent. The Grocer, which published the figures, said: ‘There’s no sugar-coating it: The UK bread market continues to struggle.

‘Low-carb diets, concerns about gluten and a slowdown in sandwich alternatives, which helped boost the market last year, have sent bread sales tumbling. Warburtons was the biggest casualty from the sliced loaf’s fall from favour, with a £57.6million loss.’

In recent years, popular weight-loss diets have warned against eating carbohydrates, which has hit sales of bread hard. The rise in the number of people who claim to be allergic to the gluten found in wheat and bread has also been a factor.

The Kantar figures show that sales of the gluten-free brand Genius rose by 52.1 per cent in terms of volume and 42.2 per cent in value last year to reach £9.3million. Bakers are look- ing to boost sales with lower carb, high-protein breads, or rustic creations full of seeds.

Kingsmill recently relaunched with new lines include Hi-Fibre White and Seeded Farmhouse. And Hovis has introduced a Seed Sensations range.

As the sliced loaf falls out of favour, Ian Cummings, senior buyer for bakery categories at Iceland, believes consumers want to see more innovative products.

He said: ‘We don’t see a lot of innovation in bread, morning goods or cakes – yet innovation is the key to engaging customers and driving growth, so we’re challenging all our suppliers to do more.’

Co-op is launching smoky BBQ Rolls this month as part of a new summer range, as well as brioche lines.