Lidl has been forced to rebrand one of its popular loaves following a bitter row over whether the bread is technically a sourdough.
The Real Bread Campaign complained that the labelling of Lidl’s ‘Sourdough Crusty Rye Bloomer’ was misleading because it is made using 56 percent wheat flour and just 12 percent rye flour.
After Lidl initially rejected the criticism, the campaign group took its case to Trading Standards, arguing the baker’s yeast used in the recipe also breaches traditional methods and ingredients: Soughdough is made with a live “starter” that is formed using a paste of flour and water to grow naturally-occurring yeast and bacteria.
Lidl has now caved in to pressure. The loaves have been rebranded ‘Crusty Wheat & Rye Bloomer’, scrubbing the sourdough reference altogether.
For some time, a fierce row has been brewing over the naming of artisan breads.
Earlier this year, a consortium of national baker groups published a new, industry code of practice with recommended definitions on labels for sourdough. It followed an investigation by Which? that found four in five sourdough loaves, sold in British supermarkets, contain wrong ingredients.
Real Bread Campaign coordinator Chris Young shared news of the victory on social media and dubbed Lidl’s loaf ‘sourfaux’.
He said the case once again underlines the need for an ‘Honest Crust Act’ which his group have been calling for since 2009. He added: “Clear-cut definitions and regulation would make things some much simpler for shoppers, business owners and consumer protection bodies.”
