The 20th Century
The Twentieth Century
Gas ovens replaced the wood and coal burning brick ovens, producing much more
even results. Large automated baking units significantly increased productivity.
The Chorleywood Bread Process, which enabled increased use of home grown wheat,
helped produce more bread at a lower price in the UK. Today the wrapped, sliced
loaf is a staple in the British diet but fresh ideas and development of new
techniques continue to provide a variety of new ethnic and speciality breads.
1912
Otto Rohwedder started work on a bread slicing machine and after many setbacks
produced a machine that sliced bread and wrapped it to keep the moisture in. It
took many years for his machine to become accepted.
1928
Otto Rohwedder's bread slicing machine was first exhibited at a bakery trade
fair in America.
1929
Scientists identified the benefits of wholemeal flour and bread but this did not
change the nation's overwhelming preference for white bread.
1930
Introduction of commercial bread slicers for use in large bakeries. Sliced bread
appeared in Britain in 1930 under the Wonderbread label.
By 1933 around 80% of bread sold in the US was pre-sliced and wrapped. Americans
loved it so much that the expression "the best thing since sliced
bread" was coined.
1941
Calcium was added to flour to prevent rickets which had been detected as common
in women joining the land army.
1942
The London Wholesale and Multiple Bakers joined with regional organisations to
form The Federation of Bakers, to assist in organising the wartime production
and distribution of bread. The 'National Loaf', roughly equivalent to today's
brown bread, was introduced due to shortage of shipping space for white flour.
1950
Reintroduction of slicing and wrapping loaves which was prohibited during World
War II as an economy measure.
1954
The Baking Industry (Hours of Work) Act, known as the Night Baking Act, came
into force. It was the culmination of a long campaign to control night working in
bakeries Although the working conditions in bakeries which had prompted the
campaign had largely disappeared by the 1950s, the Act lead to the introduction of
the National Agreements of the Baking Industry between employers and the Bakers'
Union, regulating working conditions in the baking industry. Although the
industry has now moved away from national bargaining, the National Agreements still
form the basis for working arrangements in most companies. The Night Baking Act
was repealed in 1986.
1956
The National Loaf was abolished. Laws were introduced whereby all flour other
than wholemeal had to be fortified with minimum amounts of calcium, iron,
Vitamin B1 (thiamin) and nicotinic acid.
Ever-increasing efficiency of production and distribution systems, as well as
the development of the supermarket, began the shift away from bread produced by
small master bakers and the emergence of the large wholesale companies.
1963
The Bread and Flour Regulations were introduced, governing the composition and
additives permitted in bread and flour.
1965
The Chorleywood Bread Process, first developed in 1961, came into general use.
This substantially reduced the long fermentation period by introducing high
energy mixing for just a few minutes, dramatically reducing the time taken to
produce a loaf. The process also permitted a much greater proportion of home grown
wheat to be used in the grist.
As the process become widespread and coupled with an increase in the scale of
bread production as bakers consolidated, merged or were taken over, coupled with
the continuing growth of the supermarket, the ever increasing demand for sliced
and wrapped bread maintained its pace.
This reflected the changing nature of British society. Women were going out to
work in substantial numbers for the first time, there was a substantial uplift
in post war affluence, and it was a decade of technological advancement –
sliced and wrapped bread fitted neatly into this cultural shift by providing above
all convenience.
1972
First amendment of Bread and Flour Regulations.
1978
Spillers left the baking market reducing the major players from three to two
Allied Bakeries and British Bakeries.
1984
Previous Bread and Flour Regulations replaced with new version limiting number
of permitted additives but allowing ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in wholemeal bread
for the first time. This vastly improves the softness of the wholemeal loaf and
leads to an increase in popularity.
1989
Latest version of Bread and Flour Regulations introduced.
1998
Current set of Bread and Flour Regulations implemented.
1999
Intense supermarket price competition saw own-label cheapest on display bread
hit 7p a loaf bringing the issue of persistent below cost selling of bread by
the supermarkets to the top of the industry's agenda.