Bread freshness

For years people have looked for a way to ensure freshness in their bread purchases from their local grocery store. Squeezing or smelling the loaves is one method you commonly see while shopping. Though your mom might have told you to try these methods, these are not reliable indicators of freshness when it comes to purchasing bread at your grocery store. Have you noticed the twist ties on your bread loaf? No? Take a moment to look. What color twist tie is there? The next time you visit your grocery store, take a look in the bread section. You will notice that the twist ties on the “day old” bread are different from some of the others on the shelf.

Fresh bread is delivered to retail outlets on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Why are bread deliveries not made on most Wednesdays? Most commercial bakeries utilize Wednesdays for “emergency only” deliveries; customer care calls and as a day off for their drivers as they also have Saturday deliveries to make. That means most bakery drivers have a “split” weekend with Wednesdays and Sundays off.

Each day’s delivery has a different colored twist tie associated with it, these are the most common color tie designations:
Monday – Blue
Tuesday – Green
Thursday – Red
Friday – White
Saturday – Yellow
(Notice that the colors were assigned in alphabetical order.)

So, if today was Thursday, you would want to purchase a loaf with a red twist tie - not a white one which was a Friday delivery (almost a week old)! This coding system has been used in the U.S. for over ten years, though some bread companies have created their own color “schemes” for their daily deliveries.

Most bread delivery personnel will tell you all about their company’s coding system should you catch them at your local store. It is a universal way for the both the store management and the re-stocking delivery person to easily pick out the loaves that need to be returned. By streamlining re-stocking and inventory, the delivery person is able to make more stops and move more efficiently. This also gives the company a better response reputation and improved bottom line.

Knowing about your commercial bakery’s coding system helps the everyday consumer to identify fresher bread. You can also buy the “day old” product with a better idea of just how many “days old” it is! The next time you grocery shop – test out this information and take the guessing out of choosing fresh sliced bread.