‘Healthiest’ supermarket bread named – not Hovis or Warburtons
A study has revealed the healthiest supermarket brown bread, and it's not any of the big-name brands.
A recent analysis from consumer experts revealed the healthiest brown bread you can buy in UK supermarkets. Over 60 loaves of brown bread were sampled, examining things like the amount of fibre, protein, salt and sugar. Blended, malted, wholegrain rye, seeded, and wholemeal sliced loaves were examined in the study, conducted by consumer group Which?. They used the government's official Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), a custom University of Oxford equation to score breads out of 100.
The highest score the breads could get is 80 out of 100 using NPM, as only greens and legumes can score a full 100. With that being said, 13 loaves scored 80 in this test, proving to be the healthiest options for shoppers. However, one came out on top, and it is among the cheapest on the list. The analysis looked at fibre, protein, salt and sugar values per 100g, which is typically an eighth of a pack or 2.5 slices. Additionally, all loaves examined were medium-sliced.
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The healthiest in the study was Aldi's Village Bakery wholemeal, which costs just 9p per 100g. Per 100g, it has 7.9g of fibre, 10.6g of protein, 0.87g of salt and 2.5g of sugar, scoring a perfect 80.
It is followed on the list by Co-op Bakery Wholemeal Toastie and Hovis Best of Both. The 13 breads to score 8, ranked from the healthiest at the top, are:
- Aldi Village Bakery wholemeal
- Co-op Bakery Wholemeal Toastie
- Hovis Best of Both
- Hovis Tasty Wholemeal
- Iceland The Daily Bakery malted bloomer
- Lidl Rowan Hill thick wholemeal
- M&S Wholemeal
- Morrisons wholemeal
- Ocado wholemeal
- Sainsbury's wholemeal
- Tesco wholemeal
- Waitrose wholemeal farmhouse
- Warburton's Wholemeal
Hovis Best of Both was the only blended bread in the top 13. Its benefits include 2% fibre-rich wholemeal flour, while it is also low in salt.
For those looking to be healthy on a budget, this ranking is good news. However, seven others on the list, including M&S, Tesco, Ocado and Sainsbury's, were also just 9p per slice.
But Aldi has consistently been named the cheapest supermarket in the UK over the past few months, so it's welcome news for Brits who shop at the German retailer.
Wholemeal bread tends to be the healthiest, as it contains the whole grain. This means there is more fibre, and it better supports digestion. It is followed by seeded bread in second place, malted in third and blended in fourth.
Lower-scoring breads include Hovis Granary and M&S Only 4 Ingredients wholegrain rye. The full results of the analysis can be found here.
