FOOD FROM THE GRAIN CHAIN

What is food from the grain chain?

The end products of the grain chain are grain-based foods like bread and breakfast cereals. These contain carbohydrate and also some protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre. Find out more about the grain chain here.

Research shows that eating cereal products may also help your diet by providing valuable sources of calcium, iron, folic acid, B vitamins (including riboflavin), protein and fibre.

Bread and flour: nutrition facts

• Bread and flour is good for you, whether it's white, brown or wholemeal.
• All bread and flour sold in the UK is fortified with calcium, iron and B vitamins.
• Bread is rich in complex carbohydrates, an important source of energy and should form the base of a healthy, balanced diet.
• Flour is a source of protein and is low in fat, unlike some sources of animal proteins. Protein is essential for growth, maintenance and repair of the body.
• Bread is a good source of iron. About 50% of the iron in the average British diet comes from cereal foods such as bread.
• Over a third of our thiamin (Vitamin B1) comes from cereal foods including bread. Bread is also a good source of niacin, another B vitamin.
• All bread contains a significant amount of dietary fibre, although wholemeal bread contains three times as much as white bread, as it contains the whole grain of the wheat, including the bran and wheatgerm. Fibre helps to keep the digestive system healthy.
• Bread is a good source of calcium. Six medium slices from a large white loaf provide over a third of the recommended intake of calcium for adults.
• Bread is filling, making you less likely to snack on less healthy foods.
• Grain foods also supply a wide range of phytochemicals, which are not nutrients, but protective, disease-preventing plant chemicals. The phytochemicals in grains are a unique source of antioxidants which protect our cells against oxidative damage. Wheatgerm (found in wholemeal bread) is also an excellent source of vitamin E, an important antioxidant.

Bread and flour: nutrition content

Compare the nutritional composition of white, brown and wholemeal bread.

Source: Food Standards Agency (2002) McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, Sixth summary edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry

Bread consumption

According to the Flour Advisory Bureau 2007, bread is bought by 99% of UK households.

White bread accounts for 71% of total bread consumption in the UK, brown/wholemeal bread for 22% and other bread for 7%.

Speciality breads (such as baguettes, focaccia, ciabatta, naan, pitta, rye breads, corn breads, organic breads and flavoured breads) are one of the fastest growing markets. Ethnic products, such as pitta and naan, account for 40% of bread sales and are becoming more and more popular.

59% of UK households buy continental and speciality breads for home entertaining.(Source: Mintel, February 2003)

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