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Investment in gut friendly bread tops £4m after latest Government grant
SUPERLOAF reengineers carb-based Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) using bio-active plant-based compounds and targeted fermentation.
The funding has been earmarked to support the application of this unique method in the formulation of other UPFs such as breakfast cereals, pasta, ready meals, yoghurts and pastries.
Modern Baker developed the technology over the past six years and has now amassed £4m in investment from Innovate UK, the Government’s innovation investment arm. This latest grant was awarded as part of the ‘Better Food for All: Innovation for improved nutrition’ scheme.
Co-founders of Modern Baker, Melissa Sharp and Leo Campbell, are aiming to reframe UPFs within the public consciousness by creating healthier products that are readily available. Almost 60% of the calorie intake of people in the UK currently comes in the form of UPFs.
Sharp came up with the idea for SUPERLOAF while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, where she noticed the amount of sugary, unhealthy food served to patients.
“I was just learning the connection between sugar and cancer and to see in front of me, on a chemo ward of all places, a trolley stacked with chocolate bars, fizzy drinks and snacks you’d generally associate with a petrol station, was an epiphany,” Sharp said.
“From that moment, we [Sharp and Campbell] could not get that image out of our minds and shortly after that we made a commitment to do everything in our powers to change these foods for better, starting with bread.”
The business aims to make a positive impact on one billion diets by 2028, with Sharp stating that the development of bread was “just the beginning” for the team. SUPERLOAF is currently sold in-store by Marks & Spencer and online by Ocado.
“We founded Modern Baker with a view to broadening our product range,” said Sharp.
“Receiving our sixth grant in a row from Innovate UK is tremendously encouraging, and a brilliant validation of Alt-Nutrition staples that benefit digestive and gut health, potentially ushering in a new era of mass-produced foods that are nutritious and have a net positive impact on wellbeing and the planet.”
In other news, British Sugar has applied to build an expanded office facility in Bury St Edmunds.
