Legislation and Regulation



Over the years there has been a significant amount of legislation under the Food and Drugs Act 1955, Trades Description Act 1968, Food Act 1984 and the Food Safety Act 1990.  Many Regulations have been both approved and superseded under these Acts.

Currently, the production of flour for bread making is quality controlled with respect to hygiene of production by the Food Hygiene Regulations and chemical content by The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998.  These regulations schedule the permissible levels of naturally occurring impurities in flour and define the additives that are required to improve the national health requirements of bread and flour products.

Wholemeal  flour is exempt from the additives regulations, but all other flours are required to be adjusted to meet the legal standards as defined by the regulations.  There is no requirement for mills to list the legal additives in flour.  They are only required to list other additives that are used as enhancements.

It should be noted that if a packet of white flour lists the contents as "wheat flour only" then this means wheat flour plus only the legally required additives.  Many specialist millers are not happy with this situation, but they are unable to do otherwise.

Anyone who wants a white flour free of additives should buy wholemeal flour and sift it to remove the bran.

Summary of the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 schedules.

It is worth noting that flour produced for cake making contains chlorine.  This will inhibit the growth of yeasts, making such flour unsuitable for making leavened bread.

Mill pages are downloaded as .pdf files from the active links.

 

Commercial Mills

Windmills

Water Mills

Farm Producers

Legislation

Return