Marks and Spencer is to discontinue its plain sliced white bread, as it is replaced with a fibre-enriched alternative, dailymail.co.uk reports.
The move comes as sales of what was once a staple purchase in the UK fall. All of M&S's rolls and bread will now have added fibre, making it what the retailer calls “bread with benefits”.
M&S said, “The days of the simple white loaf are numbered. We’re now adding fibre to all our bread – including white, to make a healthier bread for all the family.”
The fall in popularity of the ordinary white sliced pan owes to a growing health-awareness among the public, as well as to the rise in popularity of speciality breads such as ciabattas and sourdough loaves from supermarket bakeries.
Along with this, price wars have greatly shrunk the profitability of ordinary white bread for supermarkets.
M&S product developer Jenny Galletly said, “By using vitamin D yeast and adding fibre to our breads and bread rolls we’re helping our customers boost their intake without having to make big changes to their diet.”
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
