It’s official, from now on, the salt in the bread dough will be measured to the nearest milligram. At the origin of this decision: an agreement reached in 2022 with the Ministry of Agriculture. The new standards set by the latter announce that no more than 1.4g of salt for 100g of “common or traditional” bread and 1.3g for “special breads” will be added.
A strategy which aims to reduce the salt content of bread by 10% by 2026. The primary objective being to preserve our health from salt, consumed in excessive quantities.
An almost imperceptible change
Until now, the quantity of salt contained in a baguette did not exceed the average of 1.5 grams per 100 grams of product.
The announced reduction therefore only concerns one to two centigrams of salt. A very slight change, but necessary.
Overconsumption of salt, a public health issue
Since the arrival of ready-made industrial meals and ultra-processed products on the market, salt has never been so present in our diet. Its quantity is often far too high in these products and even more amplified when salt lovers add more to the plate.
However, consuming too much salt in the long term carries risks. Increased blood pressure, risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke or even myocardial infarction.
The WHO is clear: to reduce these risks, it is recommended to consume less than 5 grams per day for adults and 2 grams for children. We therefore consume salt in reasonable quantities, so as not to deprive ourselves of it either.
What better way to start this process than by reducing the amount of salt in bread? Being one of the favorite and most consumed products of the French, bread has become one of the main sources of salt in our daily lives, representing 20% of our daily reference needs.
In short, this choice of regulation was carefully thought out. To all fans of the baguette, we reassure you, you will barely notice the difference in taste.
Modified recipes that are just as tasty
To maintain the flavor of the baguette that we know well, artisans will compensate for this lack of salt with “Alternative solutions such as active sourdoughs in addition to yeast as well as yeast extracts exist to compensate for the reduction in salt », assured the national confederation of French bakeries and pastries.
With this drop of a few centimeters and the planned alternatives, the change in flavor in the mouth will be minimal, even anecdotal.
