On October 16th we celebrate the World Bread Day, alongside with the World Food Day. The calendar identification of these two important holidays, is not at all accidental, because it marks the importance of bread in meeting the nutritional needs of the population worldwide.
Bread is the pre-eminent global food product, it’s timeless, interspecific and full of nutrients.
We can find in every corner of the earth, in every culture and during all periods of the human journey.
There is no doubt that bread is the most important food product in Greece. Lack or absence of bread, will always be associated with conditions of recession and poverty. Bread in Greece is always associated with religion in one way or another and is considered sacred and blessed because it is the first item blessed by Christ during the Last Supper.
Bread is intertwined with human society and ingenuity. It plays an important role in the evolution of humanity, its development and history. It has influenced and being influenced by social classes and various cultures.
There were many critical periods – in world history – in which bread was associated with political, social and economic movements, such as in the expansion and building of the Roman Empire or in the French Revolution, where its price also regulated the relationship of the popular strata with the authorities.
It is an undeniable fact, by the entire nutritional scientific society, that bread is one of the healthiest sources of carbohydrates, vitamins, trace elements and energy that effectively contribute in meeting human needs.
The nutritional value of the various types of bread is still the subject of studies at the international level by major research institutions, while its nutritional contribution is seriously considered in the nutritional programs of various organizations and governments.
However, in today’s turbulent environment, with the energy crisis in full swing, the materials’ shortages and the continuous price increases, the consumers’ spending budget, has been significantly reduced. This in conjunction with the continuous changes of the market structures and the uncertainty about the future, has led the Handicraft Bakery in Greece, in a severe recession.
Several bakeries couldn’t survive the crisis, but the majority of the sector, is still active and searching for alternatives, trying to create a better competitive advantage than the one they currently have.
Let’s hope that this year’s World Bread and Food Day will mark the beginning of a new era that will shift towards a new normal, that upgrades competitiveness and adopts innovation as a mainstream sustainability strategy.