FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK FACTSHEET
WHERE TO BUY SAFE BREAD
An Italian grandmother once
told me, “the only ingredients you need in bread are flour, yeast, water, salt”.
She’s right, but food technology has led to huge changes. We once found 50
ingredients in a loaf of bread in the
• avoid additives in the
propionate range (280-283), most likely calcium propionate 282. Brumbys, Bakers
Delight and Banjo’s hot bread shops do not use 282 in their breads, and do not
have it on the premises. For an outlet near you, see
• Brumbys Bakeries, see www.brumbys.com.au
•
Bakers Delight, see www.bakersdelight.com.au
·
Banjo’s, see www.banjos.com.au and flyer
Question: When we switched to preservative free bread last year,
within a week my six year old son's behaviour changed so much we were
astounded. Since then we have been buying bread without 282 and we have
also been very careful of food/drink with any preservative - and we have seen a
huge difference. For a while I kept a diary of what he was eating, and it
seemed to us that the number one nasty for him is preservative 282. There is
usually a 24 hour delay in reaction and the effects last for two or three days.
His behaviour is explosive, raging temper, crying at the drop of a hat,
depressed. Up until now, we have only bought Brumby's and Mighty Soft
bread. Two weeks ago though, I noticed that Wonder White was now
preservative free. Two weeks on and two weeks of absolutely nightmarish
behaviour has forced me to believe that Wonder White bread is not really
preservative free. When we reverted to Brumbys the problem seemed to stop and
everything has really calmed down again. The last two weeks felt like we were
back where we started (but it took that long to realise what it was!). Other
than this bread, there has been no other change to his diet that I believe
could explain it. What are your thoughts on this?
Answer: For some children avoiding 282 is enough
to see an improvement, but children – and adults – can be sensitive to other
ingredients as well, see below.
• avoid breads containing whey or whey
powder, even if marked "preservative free". Propionibacteria can be
cultured in whey powder as a method of using natural 282 preservative without
having to declare it on the label. We have received a report from
• avoid antioxidants 319
and 320. These can be used in vegetable oil but do not have to be listed on the
label if the amount of the vegetable oil in the bread is less than 5 per cent,
so you’ll have to do the maths. Then you have to ask the baker or phone the
manufacturer to ask whether the oil in their bread contains these synthetic
antioxidants. As with calcium propionate, although children are unlikely to
react to the small amount in one slice of bread, effects can build up if they
eat bread every day. Note that these antioxidants are in almost all breads in
• if you are failsafe (free
of additives, low in salicylates, amines and flavour enhancers) there are other
ingredients you need to avoid in bread such as raisins, sesame seeds and honey
but the most important is vinegar, often used as a bread preservative, because
it contains both salicylates and amines.
Note that Brumbys, Bakers
Delight and Banjo’s plain breads are free of 282 and are also free of synthetic antioxidants and vinegar. This applies only
to only to their plain breads and Brumbys white iced finger buns - NOT to other
products such as sausage rolls and cup cakes. Ask about their other products.
Supermarket breads
Due to our awareness
campaigns and consumer demand, 282 is increasingly being removed from a number
of supermarket brands, and we applaud this step because large numbers of
children are no longer forced to eat calcium propionate every day. However,
these breads may contain unlisted antioxidants. Also, vinegar is often used
instead of 282 meaning that these breads are not failsafe - although in an
emergency they are more acceptable. You can’t tell by looking or tasting
whether bread contains 282. We have received reports from all over
Others
Flat
breads and wraps used to be some of the safest but most now contain 282 as they
aim for a six month shelf life. If you read labels carefully, you may find the
occasional safe brand. Ready-made wraps almost certainly contain 282.
Check
labels of specialty breads such as Demeter, Moores, Naturis, Dallas, Jakks,
Country Life. Bread made from spelt or kamut is likely to be preservative-free
but if failsafe, you need to avoid ingredients such as honey, seeds and
vinegar. Some manufacturers are starting to use additive 262 as an acidity
regulator. We do not know yet whether this additive may turn out to be a problem
for some consumers. If you are failsafe, you could introduce it as a challenge:
eat several slices of bread every day for a week while keeping a diary of
symptoms and sticking to your diet otherwise - at the end of a week, review
your diary and decide whether it is okay.
Bagels:
Sara Lee, Jakks.
Laucke's premix
If
you have a breadmaker, you can make your own bread from traditional ingredients
- flour, water, yeast, sugar, oil and salt - or you can use a premix, but read the
label first! Laucke's breadmaker premixes, available in most supermarkets, are
preservative-free. See website: http://www.laucke.com.au.
In
Peter Van the Bread Man sells Laucke premix packed into their own bags and offer a diverse delivery service: http://www.petervan.com.au/thebreadman/stockists.ihtml
On the Central Coast of
New South Wales, the following bread is preservative free and the owners
are failsafe members of this network:
Baked Daily Bakehouse, Shop 4 62-64 Wallarah Rd Gorokan, Ph
43927010, and at Shop 2 227 Main Road Toukley, Ph 43962016
In Sydney, Chullora Bakery makes a Lebanese
bread with no preservatives which is stocked by Woolworths.
When you buy bread or rolls
in a sandwich shop, café or fast food restaurant, assume they contain 282 and
ask to see the bread label.
In Western Australia
Mundaring (WA) bakery -
none of their products have 282 in them.
A number of readers have
recommend 'U bake it' brand premix, including the shop You can bake it
Myaree, Shop 7 Northlake Shopping Centre, 67 Northlake Rd,
Myaree 6154, Tel 9317 4199 Fax 93127 4255.
In Tasmania
Devonport has two bakeries
called "All things nice" that advertise preservative-free bread and
make the link with ADHD symptoms.
The information given is not intended as
medical advice. Always consult with your doctor for underlying illness. Before
beginning dietary investigation, consult a dietician with an interest in food
intolerance. You can find a supportive dietitian through the Dietitians
Association of
© Sue Dengate update August 2008
