Salt reduction among sweeping changes Coles makes to baked bread

Coles has quietly introduced a big change to one of its popular products – and, surprisingly, customers haven’t even noticed.

Coles has quietly made huge health-inspired tweaks to more than 40 of its bakery products, including reducing the salt content by the equivalent of two truckloads.

More than 76 tonnes of salt – which would fill two semi-trailers — from 46 items that are baked daily in a bid to remove 25 per cent of sodium from the varieties.

The supermarket giant’s popular white sandwich, toast and block loaves now contain as little as 274mg of sodium per 100 grams, compared to 2019 when they had 375mg per 100 grams in the recipe.

The changes were also aimed at keeping the bread softer for longer once customers took them home.

The new recipes were perfected during a two-year period with Australian family-owned flour business Manildra Group, based in Sydney.

Coles’ Bakery General Manager Andy Mossop said the salt reduction had not diminished the taste.

Coles has changed their baked bread nationally so it has reduced salt and is fluffier. Baker Mauricio Luna at Coles Moonee Ponds. Picture: Mark Stewart

“Having less salt won’t impact the taste, as we don’t have to add as much salt in with the higher, cleaner grade of ingredients,” he said.

“You will get an extra couple of days out of the bread you buy.

“Our prices will still remain the same as we are committed to providing that value.”

In fact, the changes had been pushed through since February and customers had hardly noticed.

“Bread is a household staple and we sell more than 400 million Coles bakery loaves and rolls from the in-store bakery each year,” he said.