18 Jan Tips for Mindful Bread Selections
Making Mindful Bread Selections in 2021
A new year brings new opportunities to make more intentional choices for your well-being. A fundamental way you can do so is by being more mindful of the food you regularly consume. We recommend you start by getting familiar with the ingredients that go into your most purchased food items, particularly bread. Therefore, we worked with our Research & Development Coordinator, Amy Pullaro, to outline the best way to interpret ingredient statements and special claims to look for in bread. Knowing this information will prepare you to make a better, informed choice when you are purchasing your next loaf!
Do You Know What’s In Your Bread?
To start, take a look at the ingredient statement at the bottom of the product’s nutritional panel. This is where all of the ingredients used to create the product are listed in descending order. To the right, we have as example of a nutritional Panel and Ingredient Statement for Tribeca Oven’s French Baguette. We recommend taking a close look to ensure you know what you’re consuming.
For example, some bread products include shelf-life extenders such as citric acid or ascorbic acid. You may also see wheat-gluten, which is an additive used to increase height in whole wheat bread products.
When it comes to understanding the composition of a product’s ingredient statement, it’s important to know that ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. This means that the first ingredient is the largest part of the recipe, and the last ingredient is the smallest part. We advise you to be cognizant of where certain ingredients are showing up in the ingredient statement—where does salt fall? How about sugar? If the product has whole grains, where are they showing up in the ingredient statement? Their placement in the statement will show you which ingredient is used more than another.
Look for Special Claims
If a product meets set criteria with the proper documentation for support, it becomes eligible to display specific claims. These claims are usually signified by a special symbol. Some claims to be on the lookout for include the below:
This claims means that the product is not manufactured with any genetically engineered ingredients. The manufacturing process and ingredients used for the product must be certified annually in order to maintain this certification.
The “basic” Whole Grain Council Certification Stamp is reserved for products that contain a significant amount of whole grain, but which primarily contain refined grain. In order to meet certification requirements, the product must have a minimum of 8g of whole grains.
To achieve this claim, a product must have 140mg or less of sodium per RACC (serving size).
- A “good source of fiber” claim means that a product must contain 2.5g – 4.9g of dietary fiber or at least 10% of the daily value of dietary fiber per RACC (serving size).
- A “high source of fiber” claim means that a product must contain at least 5g of dietary fiber or at least 20% of the daily value of dietary fiber per RACC (serving size).
To learn more about health claims in the United States, please visit the FDA site: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/label-claims-conventional-foods-and-dietary-supplements
Being cognizant of these facts will help you make a more informed decision the next time that you are shopping for bread. All of Tribeca Oven’s bread products carry the “No GMO Ingredients” claim. Additionally, Tribeca Oven prides itself on creating high-quality artisan bread made with simple ingredients that are free from any preservatives, artificial colors, or artificial flavors. If you have any questions about Tribeca Oven’s bread products or product claims, you can always submit a direct inquiry here. We encourage you to explore the Products page of our website which includes the nutritional panels and ingredient statement of every single product we make. Here’s to more mindful bread selections in 2021!
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