| Type | Bread |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Britain |
| Main ingredients | Wholemeal flour |
The National Loaf was a fortified wholemeal bread, made from wholemeal flour with added calcium and vitamins, introduced in Britain during the Second World War by the Federation of Bakers (FOB), specifically Dr Roland Gordon Booth.[1] Introduced in 1942, the loaf was made from wholemeal flour, known to be more nutritious, and fortified to prevent nutritional deficiencies like rickets. There was limited shipping space for flour imports (and limited domestic wheat), so more efficient use of limited resources was a major consideration. The loaf was abolished in October 1956.[2]
Working with the government, the FOB published four recipes for wholemeal bread, which became the only recipes that could legally be used to make bread in the U.K. The National Loaf was criticized as grey, mushy and unappetising; only one person in seven preferred it to white bread, which became unavailable. The government insisted on it because it saved space in shipping food to Britain[3] and allowed better utilization of existing stocks of wheat.[4]
Eleanor Roosevelt, the American First Lady, visiting Buckingham Palace in 1942, noted that "We were served on gold and silver plates, but our bread was the same kind of war bread every other family had to eat."[5]
When the National Loaf was abolished in 1956, laws were passed that required fortification of all non-wholemeal breads with calcium, iron, Vitamin B1 (thiamin) and nicotinic acid, aiming to prevent an increase in malnutrition.[2]