Why the composition of your baguette will change from this Sunday

Treasure of French gastronomy, emblem of French culture, joy of the meal, the baguette remains alive. It is constantly evolving, at the discretion of the bakers... and the State. The latest change should therefore take place from this Sunday, October 1, recalled the National Confederation of French Bakeries (CNBF).

In detail, from this date, “new requirements will be in force with a further reduction in the salt level in all breads”. The threshold of 1.5 grams of salt per hundred grams of bread, in force until now, will then increase to 1.4 grams for common or traditional bread, and 1.3 grams for special breads, such as those containing seeds. “The salt level also depends on the degree of cooking and the size of the loaves,” adds the organization representing the profession.

This change aims to limit the presence of salt in bread, in order to improve the health of the French. “Bread, the pillar of our daily diet, still contributes significantly to this excessive salt consumption, representing around 20% of the daily intake,” underlines the confederation. A plan had therefore been concluded with the Ministry of Agriculture to voluntarily reduce the salt content of bread. “We went from 23 grams to 18 grams per kilo of flour, and a big effort was made, since according to the latest statistics, we were on target,” the president of the CNBF, Dominique Anract, detailed on RMC. Last July, 82.5% of common and traditional breads were below the threshold of 1.5 grams of salt per hundred grams of bread.

This commitment being voluntary, the authorities will only carry out “statistical checks”, specified the representative. Baguette lovers rest assured: the change at the beginning of October should go unnoticed. “It’s not huge […], normally, people shouldn’t feel it,” said Dominique Anract. The weight or color should not change, nor should the price.