Bread from Europe, a wholesome story

From 2022, the wholesome story of bread will be fully on display again in a new image campaign. The European Commission approved the grant application submitted by the Netherlands Bakery Centre (NBC) and Instituut Brood & Gezondheid, on behalf of as many as seven Dutch and Belgian industry players. That means a follow-up to the 'Brood. Goed verhaal' campaign, in 2022 and 2023, for the traditional bakers and the sector, in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Happily surprised

"The EU’s approval was quite a surprise," responded Frank Janssen, manager at NBC. "Of course we hoped it would work out, but hadn’t counted on it. The application was heavily oversubscribed; there was a total application for € 10.5 million by various parties from all over Europe, compared to the € 4.2 million grant available. Our campaign plan was well designed, thanks to input from industry marketing representatives, but did apply for a large part of the total available budget. The bread campaign application could only be approved if we came out on top."
"So it was full steam ahead and that makes it all the more satisfying that, after a gap year, we can continue the 'Brood. Goed verhaal' campaign. Because bread’s image still needs a boost. Many people still think, for example, that carbohydrates (in bread) are bad, or that bread makes you fat. Our aim is to take targeted action to rectify this. At the same time, consumers consider themes such as 'health' and 'food waste' increasingly important, so these are also included in the campaign."

Bread Week

The campaign kicks off with 'Bread Week', at the end of January 2022. It’s a familiar event in the Netherlands and this is the first time it will take place both in the Netherlands and Belgium. The aim of 'Bread Week' is to positively showcase bread as an entire product group, with wholemeal bread as the star of the show. Preparations are already underway.

Building the image of bread together

It’s great that this is a collective effort. Participating on behalf of the Netherlands are the Netherlands Bakery Association (NVB), the Stichting Ambachtelijke Bakkerij (SAB) and the Association of Dutch Manufacturers of Bakery Raw Materials (NEBAFA). Participating on behalf of Belgium are the Federation of Large Bakeries of Belgium (FGBB), the Association of Belgian Manufacturers and Importers of Ingredients for the Bakery & Patisserie (UNIFA), the Royal Association of Belgium Millers (KVBM-ARMB), Bakkers Vlaanderen, and Instituut Brood & Gezondheid VZW.