11/04/2026
Inside the loaf tanning salon: you can read a supermarket whistleblower's report in the latest articles section of the Real Bread Campaign website.
"For 13 years I worked as a baker for one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains where, for the first eight of those years, I was proud of what we did. Skilled bakers were hired and trained, bread was made properly – from scratch – in store and I personally believe the products were of a high quality. Unfortunately, that is no more. "
"Things changed in 2021 when the company moved to a ‘bake off’ system and made many bakers redundant. There was a major reduction in paid hours available at the chain’s in-store ‘bakeries’, resulting in overworked staff members and fewer products making it to the shop floor. Because of the changes, I believe the ‘freshly baked in store’ marketing and labelling tactics used by the company are now totally false."
"Something I find very concerning about those products was the flavouring / oil added to the premixes for the lemon and fruit pancakes and the lemon loaf cakes. The front of the bottle had multiple warning symbols, indicating the contents were corrosive, flammable and deadly to aquatic life. Written warnings on the back included ‘may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways’, ‘toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects’ and advice to ‘immediately call a POISON CENTER’ if swallowed. Yum! Staff members in the store where I worked were not provided with the gloves and face or eye protection recommended on the bottle. The worst part? The ‘lemon’ oil contained zero trace of lemons. Why was it even being added to food?"