Wheat Bread Sales Top White Bread for First Time

Tuesday, August 17, 2010
(photo: Austin Food Journal)

For the first time in consumer history, Americans are buying more wheat bread than white bread. From July 2009 to July 2010, sales of wheat bread increased 0.6%, totaling $2.6 Billion, while white bread sales declined 7%, to $2.5 billion.

 
Americans seem to be turning to wheat bread for its healthier, nutritional value.
 
Declining sales of white bread have hurt long-time producers like Sara Lee, whose sales dipped 10% from last year. The company is reportedly up for sale. Other brands that are hurting include Hostess’ Wonder Bread, down 5 percent to $220 million, and Bimbo’s Stroehmann, down 6% to $116 million.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
In Our Foodie Culture, White Bread is Toast (by Greg Beato, Washington Post)

Comments

Gabriela 14 years ago
DON'T CONFUSE WHEAT AND WHOLE GRAIN or WHOLE WHEAT!! The bread industry is cleverly disguising Wheat Bread as nutritious when it may just be a combination of white refined flower and some whole wheat flower. The refinery may even just add some vitamins and molasses (to give the white flower the brown color) to white refined flower and label it as Wheat Bread tricking consumers into thinking it has a good nutritional value WHICH IT DOES NOT! The key word to look for in buying bread with nutritional value is WHOLE (WHOLE WHEAT or WHOLE GRAIN). Whole wheat flour which is followed by (enriched white flour, niacin, and iron) is not healthy, just cheaper for bread companies to produce, and is a way of making people believe that they are getting a whole grain bread with nutritious value. In the Washington Post article it says that dollar sales of packaged WHEAT BREAD topped those of white bread. The bread industry's scheme is working and its CRAZY!!!

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