Gregg's Bakery UK

Questions

Published: 2004-05-15

Salaam , i work in a junior school of which 90% are muslims , the thing is they supply the children with toast in the morning which has E471 in the ingredients, i would like to know whether or not Greggs( formerly known as Braggs) sealed white loaf bread is halal or haram , just trying to do my bit for the muslim youngsters Inshallah.

Answer

Updated: 2007-12-25

25 December 2007 - We have contacted them this month, and there isnt any change in our ruling viz:

Thank you for your enquiry, I am very sorry but we do not have halaal meat.

Greggs / Bakers Oven has a range of products that do not directly contain any meat or meat derivatives as a component ingredient. This range includes the Vegetable Pastry/cheese & onion pastry. However, due to the nature of our production processes, we are not able to guarantee that a dedicated facility or line has been used for the production of this product. Similarly, at shop level it is not possible to have dedicated sandwich preparation benches or ovens for vegetarian products.

However in both incidences every effort is made to ensure that the possibility of cross contamination is minimised.

As a result non-meat products are sold on the basis that they do not contain ingredients or processing aids derived from meat but produced in an area where meat products are used.

From the communication, we have gleaned the following:

1. The majority of Gregg's products are meat related.

2. A few of the products are vegetable-based.

3. Non meat products are not protected from cross-contamination.

4. Sandwiches and cakes are also not free from cross-contamination.

5. Separate tongs and utensils are not guaranteed for solely meat or non-meat products.

In conclusion, from the information provided we say that products from Gregg's Bakeries would be of a highly doubtful nature due to the high-risk of contamination. We are looking into their Sealed white loaf bread and source of E471. We express appreciation to Gregg's for being totally honest with us and swift in replying.

Correspondence as follows:

I am writing with regard to your query about whether our cakes are suitable for vegetarians.

Dairy products and their derivatives are used extensively within our products, from pasteurised egg and cream, cheese and its extracts, to milk powders, proteins and albumens etc. The majority of our products are made in the bakery, using the same ovens, provers, pastry lines etc and are then delivered to our shops in trays for storage and sale. The nature of this process and the large number of product lines that we make means that, in reality, we cannot claim that any of our products are suitable for vegetarians. Many products are manufactured using vegetarian ingredients, but due to the reasons above, we still cannot claim that they are suitable for vegetarians.

There are no meat products manufactured at our bakery but the frozen savouries are transported on the same vehicles as the cakes and sandwiches containing meat are also made in the shop.

I hope that this answers your question.

Regards

Technical Manager
Greggs

"In answer to your questions the majority of our sandwiches and savouries are meat related although we do have some non meat varieties, for example, Vegetable pasties, Cheese & Onion Pasties, Just Salad Sandwich and Cheddar Ploughman's Sandwiches.

All our non meat products are made using vegetarian ingredients, but due to our processes there is always the possibility of some cross contamination from meat products. The same would apply when shops are making the sandwiches, as there is no designated equipment that is used for non meat sandwiches, although the area is wiped down after making each type. Therefore although we produce meat-free products we do not claim to meet Vegetarian Society guidelines.

With regards to our savouries, they are not baked in a separate oven and even though we have dedicated tongs for our savouries we cannot guarantee that they would be used for meat or vegetarian products.

I hope this has answered your questions and if you have any more queries then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours Sincerely

Customer Care Adviser"

Related Reading:

Macdonalds Fast Food Takeaways

http://www.foodguide.org.uk/?page=viewquestion&id=16

Is Kosher Halaal?

http://www.foodguide.org.uk/?page=viewquestion&id=83

Western Imported Meat

http://www.foodguide.org.uk/?page=viewquestion&id=82

Choosing a Halaal Food Outlet

http://www.foodguide.org.uk/?page=viewquestion&id=75