Sainsbury’s has this week begun selling baked-in-store gluten-free bread – a move it claims is a first for a UK supermarket.

The retailer will be providing six varieties of gluten-free bread at 188 of its in-store bakeries:

  • White farmhouse loaf (400g) - £2.30
  • Seeded farmhouse loaf (400g) - £2.30
  • White baton - £1.50
  • Seeded baton - £1.50
  • White rolls (two-pack) - £1.50
  • Seeded rolls (two-pack) - £1.50

Sainsbury’s told British Baker it ensures there will be no cross-contamination with other bread products in its in-store bakeries.

 “The new gluten-free breads will arrive in the store in a film packaging, which is bake-proof, and they are baked without opening the packaging. Through this process, none of the other products in the in-store bakery will touch them,” said the retailer.

Twenty-five per cent of the UK population has now included free-from products in their weekly shop (Kantar Worldpanel).

The move to freshly baked gluten-free bread is designed to address increasing demand from customers seeking to avoid gluten and wheat allergens, whether for dietary or lifestyle reasons.