Bread and Atkins

By George Anderson

The Sunday Herald reports the British are foregoing bread as the Atkins diet takes hold in the UK.

John White, director of the Federation of Bakers told the newspaper that bread sales were off in the UK has consumers sought to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they consume.

Dollar sales of bread have risen five percent in the UK since 1997, but tonnage sales have actually dropped three percent during the same time. Increased dollar sales are being attributed largely to an increase in artisan bread sales.

The problem says Mr. White is, “The popularity of the Atkins diet, which everyone seems to be on nowadays, has made people question whether they should be eating bread or not. We need to get the message across that bread is not unhealthy.”

Moderator’s Comment: Is the Atkins diet having any measurable impact on the sales of carbohydrate rich foods?

Low-carb versions of high-carb foods are launching in categories from ice cream to bread.

According to the Sunday Herald piece “over 50 million Americans have either tried or plan to try the (Atkins) diet.”

The same article cites research by IGD, which found “23% of women aged 25 to 33 are cutting down on the amount of carbohydrate they eat because they consider
it to be unhealthy.” [George
Anderson – Moderator]

Is our daily bread latest victim of Atkins diet? – Sunday Herald