After two years of recipe and ingredient revisions, Coles has reduced the salt content in 46 of its Coles in-store bakery products by up to 25 per cent, or 76 tonnes a year.
The in-store baked Coles White Sandwich, Toast, and Block Loaves now contain as little as 274 mg of sodium per 100g, compared to 375mg per 100g in the old recipe.
Coles general manager for Bakery Andy Mossop said the company had been gradually reducing sodium from in-store bakery bread rolls and loaves over the past two years with the aim of making the change without customers noticing.
“And they haven’t,” Mossop said, “We sell more than 400 million Coles Bakery loaves and rolls from the in-store bakery each year. We’ve worked hard to create a new recipe which allows us to reduce sodium by up to 25 per cent while also maintaining great quality, value and taste because we know how important softness and flavour is to our customers.
“This has been a very considered and tested process to ensure we are providing the very best bread for our customers.”
The final stage of the process was partnering with Australian family-owned Manildra Group, to produce a flour for the soft bread varieties that not only contained less sodium but were softer for longer.
Manildra Group director John Honan said the company was proud to partner with Coles to produce a healthier and softer bread recipe.
“Our white bread mix uses 100 per cent Australian wheat and is lower in salt. This product has been specially created to manufacture bread products that arguably provide market leading crumb softness, texture and eating qualities in the Coles Super Soft, Crusty and Savoury range,” Honan said.
Heart Foundation Group CEO, Adjunct Professor John Kelly, welcomed Coles’ bakery reformulation initiative as a step in the right direction to reduce hidden salt in foods that many Australians regularly consume.
“More than 6.2 million Australians live with high blood pressure, which puts them at higher risk of a heart attack or stroke. High blood pressure is known as a silent killer as its symptoms are often not noticeable until people have it checked by their doctor,” Kelly said.
“Currently, Australians eat double the recommended maximum of 5 grams of salt or around a teaspoon per day. Reducing salt levels in some of our everyday foods can help improve people’s health.
“As well as reducing salt in our diets, good nutrition relies on boosting protective foods like heart- healthy vegetables, fruits and wholegrains and eating them regularly.”
In May 2019, the Heart Foundation and VicHealth released Australia’s first salt reformulation guide for food manufacturers.
In January 2020, the George Institute of Global Health found Australian food manufacturers were failing voluntary commitments to reduce salt levels.
