Over half of bread sampled contains pesticides

Almost a quarter of samples of bread contained multiple pesticides. This is a 3% increase of the number of samples containing pesticides from the last time bread was sampled by the PRC in 2006. A range of factors including changes in wheat varieties, milling methods and baking technology have made industrial bread indigestible for significant numbers of people. Further PRC results show that no organic samples of the foods tested contained pesticides. Emma Hockridge, Soil Association policy campaigner, commented: "We want to see a resurgence in good quality bread from traditional British milling varieties. This will add value and nutritional goodness to bread naturally. Increasing consumption of good quality bread made from traditional wheat could also bring huge opportunities for British farmers." The Soil Association is supporting the new Real Bread Campaign, headed by Andrew Whitley, chair of the Soil Association's Processing Standards Committee. The Food Standards Agency is proposing to fortify all bread with folic acid. Weblink: www.soilassociation.org Weblink: www.soilassociation.org