Four major UK supermarkets accused by the UK of misleading claims about ‘freshly-baked’ bread

The best thing since sliced toast. The smell of hot baked goods attracted shoppers who preferred a more fresh product to the pre-packaged standard.

Four big supermarkets have been accused of making misleading claims about the freshness of their baked goods and of violating consumer protection laws.

The Real Bread Campaign run by Sustain has filed a complaint with the Trading Standards Authority regarding how Sainsbury’s Tesco, Lidl, and the Co-op market their bakery products.

The group claimed that Sainsbury’s bakery products include claims such as “freshly made each day” and “freshly-baked bread”.

The campaign group claims that the supermarket giant has switched from scratch baking – essentially creating products using basic ingredients – to rebaking previously baked bread. This means “claims” are becoming increasingly unrepresentative for the company’s bakeries.

Sainsbury’s announced last month that it would be converting more of its bakeries to a “bake off model” as part broader proposals that could lead to the loss of 1,500 jobs across the company.

The supermarket didn’t respond to the question of how many stores still bake from scratch.

A spokesperson stated that the company had reviewed “bakery recipes and services earlier this year” in order to make “good food affordable for all”.

A spokesperson stated: “More and more of our stores are now baking pre-prepared dough on-site, as this allows us to provide customers with the highest quality in-store baked products at a great value. All of our bakery products are clearly labeled in accordance with the law and standards.

The campaign group filed a complaint with the Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards on Monday, 10th June.

The group has also complained about Tesco. It accuses the supermarket of making misleading claims, including “expertly baked since 1968” and “baked fresh every day from our ovens”, on packaging, display cases and its website.

The Real Bread Campaign asserts that Tesco uses this marketing in stores where bread is not freshly baked on site, baking expertise isn’t required and they don’t exist in 1968.

Tesco’s bakeries in the UK have 400 stores, out of a total of 3,000.

Tesco’s spokesperson stated: “In stores where we do not have enough space to bake from scratch, we work with our suppliers who prepare the dough that trained colleagues bake each day in store.”

The primary trading standards authority has agreed to our approach.

The law protects consumers against falsely presented or described foods. Trading standards are the main enforcement agency.

The campaign questioned Lidl for using claims such as “our fresh in store bakery” and “baked throughout the day”, despite Lidl not baking bread from scratch in any of its UK shops. The group claimed that pre-made items are instead put in ovens for a second baking to get a crispier, browner crust.

Lidl was contacted for a comment.

The campaign also complained about the Co-op’s “freshly baked” “sourdough baguette. It was understood that the product was made and baked by a 3rd party, and then baked in Co-op shops.

The Real Bread Campaign says that four months after its launch, it has not received a response from the Manchester City Council, which is the primary authority in the company for trading standards.

A Co-op spokesperson stated: “As convenience retailers, we are proud to offer an affordable and high-quality in-store bakery for our members and customers. This includes our much-loved Irresistible Sourdough Baguette that is prepared and baked fresh by our trained colleagues every day across our stores.”

Manchester City Council said that it was looking into the referral, and had been in touch with the Co-op as well as the Real Bread Campaign.