Why Supermarket Bread In The US Is So Terrible, According To Reddit

According to a conversation on an Australian Reddit thread, the main complaints about American bread are its exceptionally high sugar content and laundry list of preservatives. Many called it unnecessarily sweet, and one user even said, "It's like eating cake." They may have a point: Many common supermarket sandwich breads in the United States have higher amounts of sugar and preservatives than bread from other countries, such as Australia. Insider compared some bread brands to candy, citing the 6 grams of sugar added to each serving of Martin's potato bread.

If you grew up eating typical American sandwich bread, you may not have thought much about its unique ingredients or qualities. For those accustomed to bread made primarily of flour, yeast, salt, and water, the States' highly processed and noticeably sweeter sandwich bread can be quite jarring. Ireland even ruled that the bread served at Subway, which is similar to supermarket loaves, can't legally be considered bread due to its high sugar content, according to The Guardian. 

According to Livestrong, the average two-slice serving of American sandwich bread has 3 grams of sugar. This isn't a huge percentage of the recommended maximum of 50 grams of added sugar per day, per the FDA. Of course, 3 grams is an average figure: Insider points out that Pepperidge Farm oatmeal bread, clocking in at 8 grams of sugar per serving, has the same amount of sugar as Reese's peanut butter cup. 

Moreover, some types of bread are made with high fructose corn syrup, Healthline reports, and many also contain preservatives and dough conditioners to prolong the shelf life and speed up the dough-rising process, as explained by Choice. Next time you're at the supermarket feeling concerned about the ingredients listed on a package of bread (beyond flour, yeast, and salt), you might be better off buying a loaf from the bakery or making your own sandwich bread at home.