Woolworths confirmed during Heart Week 2011 in early May that all of its store-baked soft-white bread now contains 25 per cent less salt.

In addition to soft-white bread, Woolworths has also reduced salt in wholemeal, grain and sourdough varieties.

With more than 80,000 tonnes of store-baked bread rolls and loaves sold through the supermarket giant each year, the salt reduction amounts to some 268 tonnes – the equivalent of approximately 12 semitrailers full of salt.

“White bread is still a firm family favourite and a core pantry staple of most Australian households. Our challenge was to take as much salt out as we could without sacrificing the great flavour that families love and we’re delighted to have achieved our target. We’ve also tested our bread with our customer tasting panel and they’ve given our loaves and rolls the seal of approval,” Woolworths general manager, fresh food, Pat McEntee said.

“Salt is a silent and secret presence in many food items but in recent years it has been identified as a key contributor to heart disease. However, with increased awareness and education we can re-evaluate recipes and look at ways to remove any unnecessary salt content,” Mr McEntee said.

Woolworths’ move to reduce salt in store-baked soft-white bread follows last year’s commitment to reduce the salt in homebrand packaged bread, which saw an additional 50 tonnes of salt removed.

The Federal Government’s Food and Health Dialogue identified bread as a health offender as it can often contain high levels of sodium.

A recent study by the Sydney-based George Institute for Global Health (GIGH) noted Woolworths as a significant improver in