Bread boss says stories half baked

A British bakery boss who sells brioche to France says media stories about being “the most hated man in France” are unfair, inaccurate – and 12 years out of date.

Reports from the BBC, The Guardian and other British tabloids said John Foster, of Fosters Bakery in Barnsley, had just started exporting truckloads of long life baguettes to France.

They added that the bakery was selling brioche products to the French railway system, apparently sidestepping French laws limiting the amount of fat used in the breads, something that gives them longer life.

Mr Foster told The Connexion: “This story actually broke 12 years ago. We had French news teams come to see us back then and the story was handled responsibly.

“How it jumped out of the woodwork this month I just don’t know.

“I think there was a journalist who saw it in an old magazine and decided to recycle a story that was well past its sell-by date.”

The news stories said that French law limits the amount of preservatives that can be used making baguettes.

However, a spokesman for the main French bakery union said this was just for making baguettes tradition and that any French bakery could make long-life bread.

A spokesman said: “Baguettes are origine contrôlée in France, which means that they need to be made in a certain way.

“There is nothing, however, to stop industrial bread makers producing long-life products just like Fosters in England.

“This is a simple case of competitivity across the European Market.

“Mr Foster has won contracts with French buyers because he offers a more competitive product.

“This does not take away from the quality of French bread and we certainly don’t hold anything against him for selling his products in France.”

A BBC online spokesman said: "We were not specific about the timing in the story, and although the baguette aspect is older, the story is not inaccurate, and we decided to go with it anyway."