British bread industry rebounding as Atkins diet begins to lose popularity

• SALES of bread have leapt as the popularity of low-carb diets such as the Atkins fades, figures have shown.
• Britons consumed 2bn loaves last year, with sales of brown and wholemeal bread up 10%, according to the Federation of Bakers.
• The baking industry, which had experienced a downturn as slimmers cut out food high in carbohydrates, says the improved figures show such diets were merely a passing fancy.
• Andrew Brown, director of the federation, said: 'Consumers are getting wise to faddy diets and are reverting to their favourite foods.
• They are now making more of their own decisions.
• 'They are no longer waiting for someone else to dictate to them what they want, which was clearly apparent with the Atkins diet.'
• Health-conscious consumers may be turning increasingly to the brown loaf because it is seen as being more healthy.
• Wholemeal contains four times as much fibre as white bread and is also a good source of protein and vitamin B.
• In 2003, the industry, which is worth around £3bn a year, saw overall sales of sliced loaves drop to 2.7m tons - 200,000 tons less than in 2000.
• That was attributed to celebrity endorsed low-carb regimes such as the Atkins.
• Atkins, whose celebrity followers have included Jennifer Aniston, Robbie Williams and Renee Zellweger, involves eating protein through red meat, eggs and cheese while avoiding carbohydrates and starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta.
• Amanda Wynne, of the British Dietetic Association, said: 'We encourage people to base their dietary intake on carbohydrates and bread is an important part of that.'