{"id":3166,"date":"2019-05-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-26T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neolifesalud.com\/new-regulations-prevent-companies-from-misleading-us-about-the-bread-we-eat\/"},"modified":"2023-01-06T17:41:50","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T16:41:50","slug":"new-regulations-prevent-companies-from-misleading-us-about-the-bread-we-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neolifesalud.com\/en\/blog\/nutrition\/new-regulations-prevent-companies-from-misleading-us-about-the-bread-we-eat\/","title":{"rendered":"New regulations prevent companies from misleading us about the bread we eat"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After three decades of vague and confusing regulations, the Spanish Council of Ministers has finally approved a set of new updated regulations that puts an end to this situation.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The new regulations published in the Spanish official gazette (BOE) address basic issues such as the definition of what is considered bread or what requirements a product must meet to be marketed as whole meal, artisan, firewood-baked or starter dough. Currently, we purchase bread labeled 100% whole meal that actually isn\u2019t in most cases. New regulations are putting an end to this scam.<\/p>\n

Tania Mesa – Director of Neolife\u2019s Nutrition and Nursing Unit<\/em><\/p>\n

Alejandro Monz\u00f3- Neolife Nutrition and Nursing Unit<\/em><\/p>\n

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The new regulations will serve to introduce changes that bring greater quality and protection to consumers<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1964, Spaniards consumed about 134 kg of bread<\/strong> per person annually. That figure has been declining to 46 kilos in 2009 (Figure 1). At present, we consume five times less bread than 50 years ago; however, the obesity<\/strong> rate has tripled (1).<\/p>\n

\"evolution
Figure 1. Evolution of bread consumption in Spain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the Ministry\u2019s most recent data from 2018, average yearly consumption<\/strong> per person was 31.77 kilos. Spanish households allocated 5.09% of their budget for food and beverages at home to the purchase of bread. Thus, the annual expenditure per person was 76.13 euros. By types of bread, the most consumed is\u00a0fresh<\/strong>\/frozen bread (80.7%), versus industrial bread<\/strong> (long-lasting dry bread that made up 19.3% of the consumption) (2).<\/p>\n

By definition, whole meal bread<\/strong> is made from flours<\/strong> that have not been refined and that contain three parts of the cereal<\/strong>, including the germ and the bran, intact. According to a study by the journal British Journal of Medicine<\/em>, consumption of whole grains<\/strong> has been shown to play a beneficial role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease<\/strong>, cancer<\/strong> and mortality for all other reasons, reducing the likelihood of suffering from these diseases by 17%.\u00a0 In addition, the authors point out that the additional evidence of this new study backs the importance of consuming more whole grains to reduce the risk of chronic diseases<\/strong> and premature death (3).<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many of the breads we find in supermarkets and establishments labeled as \u201cwhole meal\u201d or \u201ccontains high fiber content\u201d are basically refined flours<\/strong> seasoned with wheat bran to be able to label products as whole meal. White bread<\/strong> is composed of starch, a polysaccharide that has undergone a fermentation process and that our body rapidly transforms into sugar<\/strong>. There are studies that show how they are fast-absorption carbohydrates, which produce an insulin peak, lack satiating power and are directly linked with the risk of being overweight and obese (4.5).<\/p>\n

After a thirty-year legal vacuum around the issue, the new regulations<\/strong> are putting an end to this fraud. The Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) established a series of food labeling<\/strong> guidelines that the food industry<\/strong> must comply with (6). However, in recent years the industry has used this legislation to label breads as whole meal that are not or not in the required amount. Because of this consumers until now have bought breads that are \u201c100% natural\u201d, made with \u201cstarter dough\u201d or are \u201cartisan\u201d, as well as those called \u201cmulti cereal\u201d, which actually have the minimum percentages of whole meal flours, a situation that is detrimental for public health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Given the importance of this issue and in response to consumers, the new regulations introduce a series of changes on July 1, 2019 that will ensure greater nutritional quality and consumer protection. In particular, the new regulation includes (7):<\/p>\n

1. Raw materials<\/strong> and other ingredients:<\/p>\n

All raw materials, ingredients and additives used to make bread<\/strong> must comply with the provisions:<\/p>\n