Labour of loaf: Bread is still cheap, but is cheap best?

Wednesday, 30 March 2022

The average price of bread has increased by almost 50 cents since 2017.

No matter if you have it toasted, as a sandwich, or just on its own, pre-sliced, pre-packaged bread has been a staple since it was introduced to New Zealand in the 1950s.

The New Zealand Association of Bakers said it has always been an affordable and filling option for families.

But is the cost of a loaf too much? And are the cheaper loaves giving us enough nutrition?

How much are we paying for bread now - and how does that compare to five years ago?

Stats NZ’s food price index shows the price of a 600g of a white sliced loaf was $1.09 in June 2017.

In February 2022, the price of a 600g of a white sliced loaf had risen to $1.52.

Sourdough expert Sam Ellis takes Stuff through the benefits of his product.

* Lifting the lid on sourdough: the process behind making the real deal

* Local farmers grow quality wheat but most of us aren't eating it. Here's why

Two large baking companies make almost all the bread in New Zealand supermarkets.

Goodman Fielder, which makes Nature's Fresh, Vogel's, Molenberg, Mackenzie and Freya's, is owned by Singaporean-based company Wilmar International and Hong Kong-based fund First Pacific.

Artisan bakers sell loaves for anywhere between $4 and $8.

George Weston, which makes Tip Top, Ploughmans, and Bürgen, is owned by British-based Associated British Foods.

What’s the most expensive bread you can get, and the cheapest?

This all depends on where you buy your bread from and the quality of it.

At Countdown, the price of a 700g white sliced loaf ranges between $1.40 for its own Essentials brand and $3.30 for Nature’s Fresh.

Brown bread, which includes seeded, wholemeal, whole grains and rye, ranges between $1.90 for Mighty Fresh and $4.30 for Vogels.

A loaf from a bakery, such as Baker’s Delight, costs $4.40, while artisan bakers sell loaves for anywhere between $4 and $8.

But is cheaper better?

The short answer is no. You aren't going to get the same nutritional benefits from a cheap loaf that you are from one that is more expensive.

Countdown introduced its $1.40 loaf, which used to be $1, in July 2014, and sold 19 million loaves in the first year.

But the white bread's nutritional benefits are minimal. It's made of wheat flour which is essentially pure starch.

Bellbird Baked Goods owner Jeremy MacCormack says large industrial manufacturers add more to its bread.

Starch converts to sugar in the body. There are no minerals, fibre or protein that may be present in other more expensive breads.

White flour, or wheat flour, is made from the endosperm, the starchy tissues surrounding a wheat kernel, and hence is almost entirely starch.

But wholewheat flour includes all parts of the wheat kernel – including the bran, the germ and the endosperm, which will provide more fibre and minerals.

Wholemeal flower has everything sieved from it and then bran added back in.

White and wholemeal breads have a higher glycaemic index (GI) than wholewheat bread.

Foods high in GI can cause blood sugar to spike, while regular consumption of lower GI foods helps to regulate blood glucose levels, keeping us fuller for longer.

White and wholemeal breads have a higher glycaemic index (GI) than wholegrain bread.

A New Zealand Association of Bakers Inc spokesperson said bread offered an important source of protein, fibre, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, as well as being low in fat.

“The plant bakeries make their bread using a similar process to craft bakeries but just on a much larger scale. Ingredients are mixed together to form a dough, which is kneaded and left to rise before being baked, cooled and then packaged for dispatch to stores,” the spokesperson says.

But Bellbird Baked Goods owner Jeremy MacCormack said large industrial manufacturers added more to their bread.

'Much of the mass-produced bread you find at the supermarket will have a mixture of artificial vitamin c, soy flour to stabilise the volume of the bread for the industrial process,” he says.

MacCormack started Bellbird Baked Goods in 2010 by selling bread and pastries at Christchurch markets, before opening Bellbird Bakery at the Tannery in 2012.

He says very little goes into his bread, apart from flour, water and salt.

“We may add olive oil, walnuts or a mixture of seeds and grains, but never any chemical leavening agents or dough 'improvers’,” he says.

This month, wheat prices reached a 14-year-high.

“Most large bakeries will have a production line and strict time requirements to push the largest amount of product in the shortest possible time.

“We have a long process that requires our bakers to make small adjustments to get the best possible products whatever time it takes.”

The price for his sourdough loaves, range from $7.50 to $10, and he says that is reflective of costs of production, ingredients and wastage.

What in the wheat

In any loaf of bread today there is about 38to 40 cents worth of wheat.

This month, wheat prices reached a 14-year high.

This is due to the Ukraine invasion, because together Ukraine and Russia produce nearly 30 per cent of the world’s traded wheat, with bread prices expected to increase around the world.

But it is unlikely to have a big impact in New Zealand, as most of the wheat consumed here is from Australia.

New Zealand was self-sufficient in wheat production until government control of the industry under the Wheat Board ended in 1987, and led to imports by the mid-1990s.

Storing bread in the freezer can help save on wastage and money.

New Zealand farmers grow about 400,000 tonnes of wheat every year, but due to land being cheaper in Australia, and greater volumes of wheat grown there, it is also cheaper for importers to transport grain from Australia to Auckland, than to get grain up from the South Island where most of it is grown.

The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) conducted a market survey of almost 1000 bread-buying Kiwis in 2020.

The survey identified 51 per cent of consumers would be happy to pay up to 50 cents more per loaf of bread if they had proof the bread was made with New Zealand-grown grains.

Another 13 per cent indicated they would “maybe” pay up to 20 cents more.

What are the tricks that can help shoppers save money?

Bread is New Zealand's most avoidable wasted food.

Love Food Hate Waste estimated New Zealanders throw out 29 million loaves of bread a year - that’s 15,174 tonnes - at a cost of $62 million.

Many people find their bread goes mouldy or stale because of the humid climate. Gluten-free breads and those with nuts and seeds in are particularly susceptible to mould in warm and humid climates.

So instead, store bread in the fridge to stop it growing mould.

Alternatively, freezing bread could help save up to 20 million loaves going to waste each year.

Breadman Organic Bakery’s website encourages bread-lovers to firmly double-wrap bread in compostable bags, or even an old t-shirt, to keep bread for longer in the freezer. It stops moisture from penetrating the bread.

New Zealanders also throw out a lot of crusts and the ends of the loaves.

Instead of throwing them, they can be used in things like puddings, salads, and soups.