Iceland has reportedly pulled a particular bread loaf from its shelves following a complaint from a campaign group - and other stores could be set to do the same.
"The Real Bread" campaign has been protesting against the use of the word wholemeal in 'half and half' loaves and has claimed that Iceland has already withdrawn its ‘50% white and wholemeal’ after a complaint was lodged with Trading Standards.
The bread campaign group has been asking companies to review their marketing as legally the word "wholemeal can only be used in a product name or marketing if all the flour in that product is wholemeal."
Iceland are not the only company that has been contacted by the action group, as it has also wrote to Hovis, Jacksons and Warburtons back in June 2022, reports The Liverpool Echo.
Additionally, it has made official complaints to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, Buckinghamshire & Surrey County Councils, Hull City Council and London Borough of Waltham Forest.
Chris Young, coordinator of the Real Bread Campaign said: “The law is clear on what you can and can’t name and market using the word wholemeal.
''It’s good to see Iceland’s move in line with this, though they could’ve just renamed the product.
"The problem here is that the law and official guidance clearly state that the word wholemeal can only be used in a product name or marketing if all of the flour in that product is wholemeal.
''While we're working hard to convince the government to improve loaf labelling and marketing legislation in the UK, it's a worry if manufacturers and retailers can't even follow the law as it stands.
"Evidently there’s an issue with the content, understanding and enforcement of current legislation, a full overhaul of which is long overdue.
"Bakers helping people to trade up from 100% white to at least fifty-fifty is a good thing.
"What we don't want to see from industrial loaf fabricators is any marketing that's misleading or otherwise breaches applicable regulations.
''While they're at it, we'd love to see them ditching the additives they use, all of which are unnecessary by definition."
The group has said that it will continue to lobby the government to review the regulation of 'wholegrain' and 'wholemeal' as part of its wider Honest Crust Act work which aims to protect the rights of shoppers, and help them make more informed decisions.
Included in the five loaves of bread that have been targeted by the campaign are Hovis: Best of Both, Iceland: 50% White and Wholemeal, Jacksons: Bloomin' Both, Warburtons: Half White Half Wholemeal.
Campaigners have claimed that they have "received unsatisfactory responses from two companies", while they are yet to receive a response from the other three, leading them to email Trading Standards.
It has also claimed that the legal manager at Buckinghamshire & Surrey Trading Standards has said it is referring the matter to Defra.
It wrote: “Having looked at the legislation I have come to the conclusion that it would help achieve greater clarity if we referred the matter to the central government department responsible for the legislation.
'As the product is not the only one of this type on the market we think it is important to have a definitive view from central government so that coordinated advice can be given.
"This service has contacted Defra with the relevant details and asked them for their opinion about how the Regulations would apply to products such as the one in question.
''Once we have received the opinion from Defra we will review our advice and contact you to inform you what the result is.”
Chris Young added: “The existing, outdated Bread and Flour Regulations are no longer fit for purpose, if indeed they ever were.
"A full review and overhaul is long overdue but the government continues to resist our Honest Crust Act proposals for up-to-date composition, marketing and labelling legislation.”
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