The European Commission has approved the application for subsidies submitted by the Nederlands Bakkerij Centrum (NBC) and Instituut Brood & Gezondheid (IB&G vzw/asbl) on behalf of seven Belgian and Dutch sector federations. From 2022 onwards, a new image campaign will run hroughout Belgium and the Netherlands, for small and large bakeries. It follows the initial project titled ‘Bread. A great story’.

“The approval by the EU was quite a surprise”, says Frank Janssen, manager of NBC. “Of course, we had hoped for it, but had not counted on it. The application was heavily oversubscribed; a total of EUR10.5 million was requested by various parties from all over Europe, while EUR4.2 million subsidies were available.”

“Our campaign plan was well-designed”, adds Kathou Wagemans (IB&G vzw/asbl). “We collaborated with a working group of marketing representatives from sector companies in both Belgium and the Netherlands. Thanks in part to this cooperation, our application came in the first place. This was also necessary because our subsidy application takes up a large part of the total budget made available by the EU. We went for it, and what is even more pleasing is that after a gap year, we can follow up the three-year campaign ‘Bread. A great story’ (2018-2020). This campaign proved to be a success.”

“And”, adds Frank Janssen, “the image of bread still needs a boost. For example, many people still think that carbohydrates (from bread) are bad or that bread makes you gain weight. We want to counter these misconceptions in a targeted way. At the same time, consumers are increasingly interested in themes such as ‘health’, ‘food waste’ and ‘sustainability’, which will also be addressed in the new campaign.”

Bread Week

The campaign kicks off with the ‘Bread Week’, at the end of January 2022, which aims to highlight bread as a product category in its own right, with wholemeal bread at the forefront. After all, increasing the consumption of wholegrain foods is a priority on the agenda of the Belgian Superior Health Council. The preparations for Bread Week are underway.

On behalf of Belgium, the Belgian Federation of LargeBakeries (FGBB), the Association of Belgian Suppliers (UNIFA), the Federation of Belgian Millers (KVBM-ARMB), Bakkers Vlaanderen and Instituut Brood & Gezondheid vzw/asbl will participate in the campaign. The Netherlands will be represented by the Dutch Bakery Association (NVB), the Craft Bakery Foundation (SAB) and the Association of Dutch Manufacturers of Bakery Ingredients (NEBAFA).