WASHINGTON — A longtime US household staple, bread is undergoing a consumer shift as shoppers gravitate from traditional white/wheat loaves to other category segments, new research from the Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) shows.

A GFF-commissioned survey of 1,043 US adults by market research and polling firm Ipsos found that consumers have become more diverse in their bread product selections, exhibiting a rising preference for artisan and sourdough varieties and sharpening their focus on ingredients and nutrition. Titled “Consumer Perspectives on Bread,” the study also revealed shoppers increasingly have branched out in bread formats beyond conventional loaf slices.

“Bread’s story is being shaped as much by media and dietary conversations as by what’s on the shelf, and independent, best-in-class insights have never mattered more,” said Erin Ball, executive director of the Grain Foods Foundation. “Consumer Perspectives on Bread gives our industry a clear, credible picture of where bread stands with today’s shopper as well as where it’s headed.”

Of the polled households’ primary bread purchasers, 53% said they purchased traditional sandwich bread in the past three months, compared with 22% buying artisan bread, 14% alternative bread formats and 11% better-for-you bread offerings.

Among specific bread items purchased in that time frame, tortillas/wraps led the field, with 71% of respondents buying them. Next were rolls (57%), sliced wheat/whole wheat sandwich bread (53%), sliced white sandwich bread (50%), sourdough bread (45%), artisan sliced bread (37%), baguette bread (31%), grains and seeds traditional sliced bread (30%), sandwich thins and flatbreads (23%) and ciabatta (20%).

Other varieties bought by at least 10% of those surveyed included rye/pumpernickel European-style bread (19%), high-protein/keto bread (14%), ancient grain loaves (12%) and focaccia (12%).

Still, traditional white/wheat sliced sandwich bread stood as the top bread purchase for the three-month period, cited by 78% of consumers polled. Interestingly, however, 72% of traditional bread primary purchasers said they bought tortillas/wraps during that time span, and 59% bought rolls.

“Traditional sliced sandwich bread remains the primary anchor for households, but its core buyers are actively diversifying with alternative formats like tortillas/wraps and rolls,” the GFF study said.

Source: Sosland Publishing Co.

Consumption evolves

Bread consumption has stayed relatively level among consumers. Sixty-seven percent said they’ve eaten about the same amount of bread over the past year, compared with 18% reporting they eat less and 15% saying they eat more, according to the GFF/Ipsos research.

“Overall bread consumption remains largely flat, indicating that growth in the bakery aisle is a battle for share rather than increased volume,” the report said.

But changes in bread consumption clearly show a growing consumer predilection for artisan and better-for-you items, the study noted. For example, over the past year, 46% of respondents said they were eating more high protein/keto bread versus 46% eating about the same and 8% eating less, for a net shift of 38% — the sharpest of the varieties in the research. Next in terms of a net shift toward eating more were boule/batard (27%), sourdough (17%), sprouted grain (16%), ancient grain loaves (14%), sliced grains and seeds (11%), sandwich thins and flatbreads (4%), artisan-style sliced (3%), tortillas/wraps (2%) and focaccia (2%).

Sliced wheat/whole wheat bread and rye/pumpernickel showed no net shift in consumption. Meanwhile, 12% of those surveyed said they eat more sliced white bread versus 61% eating about the same and 27% eating less, for a negative net shift of 15%. Other varieties showing a net shift toward less consumption included rolls (-10%), ciabatta (-8%) and baguette (-4%).

“While traditional sliced white and wheat loaves remain flat or decline, many have actively increased their intake of functional, seeded and fermented breads and artisan types like sourdough,” the GFF study said.

Nevertheless, bread remains a “resilient staple” and a “nutritional anchor,” the report noted. Among respondents, 59% agreed bread and bread products are an affordable way to eat nutritiously, while 39% agreed that a good meal isn’t complete without bread or another bread product.

Changes in choice

But many of the consumers polled also agreed with the following: bread with visible grains/seeds is significantly better for health than traditional white bread (62%), sourdough bread is better for gut health/digestion than regular bread (53%), traditional sliced bread is boring compared to other bakery options (50%), artisan or grainy breads have less added sugar than traditional white bread (48%) and a standard loaf is too much to finish before it goes bad (28%).

In addition, 43% said they worry about carbs/weight gain and are trying to limit bread intake. Yet 36% said they are looking for a new bread type as their household’s staple, and 62% like to use alternative breads, such as wraps, to make different kinds of sandwiches.

“Despite nearly half actively limiting their intake due to carb and weight fears, a majority still view bread as an affordable way to eat nutritiously, highlighting the category’s enduring relevance for today’s shopper,” the study said.

On the health and nutrition front, whole wheat (36%) and simple/clean label (35%) topped the list of “healthy bread descriptors” that catch consumers’ eyes when shopping for bread, the research found, with “clean label” defined as bread with recognizable ingredients and/or five ingredients or less. Other descriptors appealing to respondents included high fiber (30%), low/no added sugar (24%), high protein (19%), sourdough starter/naturally fermented (19%), visible seeds (16%), ancient grains (14%), low calorie (14%) and sprouted grains (9%).

“Consumers define healthy and high-quality bread through foundational health cues, prioritizing whole wheat, clean labels and high fiber over niche diet claims,” the report said.

Those descriptors, along with sensory experience, also play into consumers’ “must-haves” when shopping for bread. Price, cited by 50% of consumers polled, was a top-three must-have when choosing bread, but more respondents cited taste (86%) and texture (55%). Other factors considered most important when bread shopping included clean ingredients (40%), shelf life (38%), healthier than other options (36%), loaf size (32%), visual appeal (28%), specific nutritional benefits (24%), low/no added sugar (24%), brand familiarity (18%), low carbs (15%) and low calorie (14%).

“While price is important, taste, followed by texture, are the ultimate ‘must haves’ that dictate the (bread) purchase decision,” the GFF study said.

Rene Haas, chief executive of the chip designer Arm Holdings, has said artificial intelligence will help cure cancer “in our lifetime”, and predicted that humanoid robots will be in widespread use within the next five years.

Haas told the BBC that modelling how a DNA marker is affected by cancer was currently “too complex” a problem for either humans or the computers that run AI, but that computers were “going to solve it” as more models are fed into them and they become more sophisticated at running them.

“AI is going to … find a cure for cancer that today you and I, other humans [could] not in our lifetimes. I believe in our lifetime, AI will help cure cancer,” he said.

“Modelling how a DNA marker is impacted by cancer, it’s too complex a problem, not only for humans today, but the computers that run AI. However, going forward, as we feed more and more of the models into these computers, and the computers get more sophisticated to run the models, they’re going to solve it.”

AI already in use in NHS diagnosis

AI tools are already being used in NHS cancer diagnosis. The Department of Health and Social Care said on 10 June 2026 that more than four million patients had received a faster lung cancer diagnosis or all-clear thanks to AI tools, and announced £20m to roll out AI-powered X-ray tools to every NHS trust in England by 2029.

The department said early data showed the technology, which acts as a virtual “second pair of eyes” for radiologists, helped them analyse scans in an average of four days, compared with eight days for the most complex cases previously. The NHS is also using an AI forecasting system across 50 organisations to identify likely surges in A&E attendances days and weeks in advance.

Haas predicts humanoid robots within five years

Haas said AI would also pave the way for widespread humanoid robots within the next five years, but that chip shortages were stunting growth in the area.

“With artificial intelligence, these robots can see, learn, and essentially be reprogrammed for new tasks,” he said. “So, in the service industry, the robot that was programmed to make a bed can also learn how to arrange the towels in a room, or clean the dustbins, or whatever you want to go off and do.”

A report by Royal Bank of Canada has estimated that the global market for humanoid robots could be worth as much as $9tn by 2050, with basic household models potentially entering homes within the next five years but widespread adoption of fully capable domestic robots unlikely for up to 20 years.

Arm, which is listed in New York but keeps its global headquarters in Cambridge, has about 500 users of its chip designs worldwide, including Apple, Samsung, Qualcomm and Nvidia. The company says more than 350bn Arm-based chips have been shipped to date.

It employs more than 7,000 staff, including about 3,000 in the UK, and is the biggest technology company headquartered in Britain, with a stock market value of about $269bn (£199bn).

Haas joined Arm in 2013 and became chief executive in 2022. He has also been named chief executive of the international business of SoftBank, the Japanese group that is one of the biggest technology investors in the world and holds a stake in ChatGPT maker OpenAI. He stepped down from the board of the pharmaceutical group AstraZeneca in April 2026.

Earlier in 2026, Arm proposed a pay scheme for Haas that could make him a billionaire if he hits targets to turn the chip designer into a trillion-dollar company.

Amy Ingham

Amy Ingham is a reporter at Business Matters, covering UK business news with a focus on breaking news, business policy, late payments and insolvency. She joined the magazine in 2026 after completing the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism at Harlow College’s journalism school. Her recent reporting includes British Steel’s nationalisation and its impact on SME suppliers, the decline in late payments by large firms, and Insolvency Service director disqualifications. Reach her at aingham@cbmeg.co.uk.

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Mr Mullen’s departure comes as the bank announces a rise in income and profits in its latest accounts

Newcastle challenger bank Atom Bank has announced the departure of its chief executive Mark Mullen. Mr Mullen, who co-founded the bank in Durham ahead of its move to Tyneside this year, has stepped down after a period of speculation around possible takeover bids for the digital-only bank.

Current chief financial officer Andrew Marshall will become interim CEO as Atom starts the search for a permanent successor to Mr Mullen. The announcement came as accounts for Atom for the year ending March 31 showed a growth in net operating income to £99.8m, while profit before taxation increased significantly from £5.1m a year earlier to £9.4m.

In the accounts, Mr Mullen said the company’s performance had been “positive”, though he stressed the need to find a “better balance in the composition of our earnings”.

He added: “We delivered these results despite considerable macroeconomic volatility, maintaining exceptionally low levels of both arrears and forbearance at just 0.9% across the loan portfolio. In the final quarter of the financial year, the impact of the potential economic fallout from the war in Iran played through into higher modelled Expected Credit Losses (ECLs) for the year at £9.4m against £7.1m in FY25.

“In the course of the year, we further expanded and established new deposit platform partnerships. We grew retail deposit balances to more than £8.3bn and launched our first Cash ISA.

“We have invested in our behaviouralisation and price elasticity modelling and continued to leverage our Elvet Securitisation programme. Growing our retail deposit capabilities will remain a key strategic focus. We continue to work toward increasing our maximum aggregate balance, driven by the upcoming launch of our latest savings variants.”

In this morning’s announcement of his decision to step down, Mr Mullen said: “After 12 years as CEO, I have decided to hand over the leadership of Atom. It has been a privilege to build this business and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together, growing Atom into a leading UK bank that successfully competes with the High Street banks.

“Atom is a fantastic company with a bright future. I wish Andrew and my permanent successor well.”

Atom chair Lee Rochford said: “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Mark for his leadership, dedication and significant contributions since he founded the business 12 years ago. Under his leadership, Atom pioneered digital banking in the UK.

“His vision of an online bank devoted to customer service has been adopted across the industry and helped make Atom one of the UK’s most trusted banks for customers. That is a legacy to be proud of.”

Mr Marshall said: “I am pleased to take on the role of Interim CEO and to lead Atom after 10 years with the business. Mark leaves us with a strong foundation and an excellent team, and I look forward to working with the board and leadership team to maintain our momentum.”

Clifford believes home heating oil theft highlights a wider inequality facing rural Northern Ireland.

“While urban households often have access to gas networks and a choice of energy suppliers many rural households depend on a single fuel source stored outside their homes,” she said.

“This creates a unique vulnerability to crime that disproportionately affects rural residents, particularly older people, low-income households, and farms.”

“Rural communities are often at their strongest when neighbours look out for one another, so if you notice suspicious activity, unfamiliar vehicles repeatedly visiting an area, or anyone behaving unusually around fuel tanks, report it to the PSNI.”

A spokesperson for the PSNI said fuel tanks can often be seen as “easy pickings” for thieves.

“By taking precautions you can protect your oil – lock and disguise your tank, fit a ‘level Gauge’ with audible alarm and consider installing security lighting and CCTV.”

Richard Holden has written to transport secretary Heidi Alexander asking for action to be taken on the A303 traffic problems

A senior politician has called for urgent action on the A303 following a fact-finding visit to villages surrounding Stonehenge. Richard Holden, the shadow transport secretary, wrote to his government counterpart, Swindon South MP and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, urging action in the wake of the scrapped £2bn Stonehenge Tunnel project.

Mr Holden visited communities in the Stonehenge area at the invitation of Dr Monica Devendran, the Wiltshire Councillor for Amesbury West.

During his visit, Mr Holden said there was “a clear and consistent concern that the underlying transport problems affecting communities along the A303 corridor have not gone away”.

In his letter, he wrote: “Residents are particularly concerned that, despite the cancellation of the scheme, there appears to have been little consideration given to mitigating the continuing impact of congestion and the increasing volume of diversion traffic through surrounding villages.”

He highlighted a recurring issue of “the routine rerouting of traffic by satellite navigation services through villages such as Shrewton, Berwick St James and other nearby communities whenever congestion or incidents occur on the A303”.

Locals, he said, “described the resulting rat-running as causing severe congestion, speeding, noise, pedestrian safety risks and disruption to local businesses.

“In many cases, these roads are simply not designed to accommodate such volumes of through traffic,” he added. Mr Holden called on the Department for Transport to engage with Google Maps and other mapping services “to reduce unnecessary routing of strategic traffic through unsuitable villages wherever practicable”.

He said: “It is clear that local communities feel current navigation algorithms are exacerbating an already difficult situation, particularly following the cancellation of the improvement scheme.”

He also voiced concern that “no credible alternative has yet been put forward to address congestion, improve resilience along the A303 corridor, or reduce the impact of diversion traffic on neighbouring villages when issues do occur”.

He also called for “secure, sensible and low-cost mitigations, such as screening” to “stop people dangerously slowing down, pulling over, hanging out of windows, or standing up through sunroofs, often with children, to take photographs of Stonehenge”.

The A303 Amesbury-to-Berwick Down highway scheme, which included proposals to divert the arterial route through a tunnel past Stonehenge, was scrapped by the incoming Labour Government in July 2024 as part of a review of unfunded or unaffordable transport commitments.

The Government subsequently brought the project to a formal close when Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander revoked its Development Consent Order, citing “exceptional circumstances”, a substantial change in deliverability, and the scheme’s failure to align with current strategic policy objectives.

At the point the scheme was halted, the estimated cost stood at between £1.4bn and £1.7bn, with £179.2m already spent on planning, design and development by the time the project was abandoned.

In May, a motion put forward to Wiltshire Council by Cllr Devendran was passed by 91 votes to one, compelling council leader Ian Thorn to write to Ms Alexander regarding A303 traffic concerns.

Cllr Thorn said he would “drive to Swindon and talk to her myself” about the issue.

This week, Cllr Devendran told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I will continue pressing the Government, National Highways and relevant stakeholders to ensure local communities are heard and kept informed as this work progresses.

“I thank Richard Holden for visiting Stonehenge, listening directly to residents, and taking the concerns of local communities to the Secretary of State for Transport.”

PERTH, Australia — Shares of Tasmea Ltd. climbed $0.69, or 7.42%, to $9.99, continuing a strong run for the specialist industrial services company as investors respond to its aggressive acquisition strategy positioning the business at the center of Australia’s data center and electrification infrastructure boom.

Tuesday’s gain adds to a period of sustained momentum for Tasmea shares, which have traded within a 52-week range spanning from $3.20 to $10.20, according to figures compiled by Google Finance, reflecting a dramatic run-up for the Perth-area based company over the past year. The stock’s current price sits just shy of its 52-week high, underscoring the strength of investor appetite for the company’s growth story heading into the final months of 2026.

Tasmea, based in Jandakot, Western Australia, provides shutdown, maintenance, emergency breakdown and capital upgrade services across Australia’s mining and resources, oil and gas, power and renewables, defense and infrastructure, and water sectors, operating through Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Workforce Solutions and Water & Fluid business segments. Founded in 1999, the company has grown into one of the largest specialist industrial services providers listed on the ASX, employing roughly 8,000 workers.

Much of the recent investor enthusiasm surrounding Tasmea stems from the company’s ongoing programmatic acquisition strategy, which has significantly expanded its scale and market positioning over the past year. In its most significant recent deal, Tasmea announced a binding agreement to acquire Maxim Group Australia in a transaction valued at up to $254 million, a move the company said would deliver approximately 31% pro forma earnings-per-share accretion in fiscal 2026, excluding synergies, assuming a full 12 months of ownership.

Maxim Group is a market-leading specialist electrical contractor headquartered in Victoria, with established credentials across data centers, major government infrastructure and battery energy storage system markets. According to Tasmea’s official ASX announcement, Maxim has delivered more than 450 projects and employs approximately 600 full-time staff, including a substantial cohort of high-voltage-accredited and rail-inducted specialists, with the company currently active on roughly 30 projects across its core end markets.

Following completion of the Maxim acquisition, Tasmea’s Electrical segment earnings before interest and taxes are expected to reach approximately $100 million, positioning the combined business as one of the largest electrical contractors listed on the ASX. Maxim’s own forecast fiscal 2026 underlying EBIT stands at approximately $47 million, with the business having delivered organic revenue growth of roughly 70% compounded annually between fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2026, supported by an identified project pipeline exceeding $1.3 billion that provides full revenue visibility for fiscal 2027 and roughly 85% visibility for fiscal 2028.

The Maxim deal is being fully funded through Tasmea’s existing banking facilities, with no equity raise required, and is expected to leave the company’s post-deal net leverage at approximately 0.85 times net debt to pro forma fiscal 2026 EBITDA, according to deal documentation reviewed by Quartr. Settlement of the transaction was targeted for around July 1, 2026, subject to customary conditions precedent, including approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Beyond the Maxim acquisition, Tasmea has continued expanding through additional bolt-on deals throughout the year. The company completed its acquisition of JPS Holdings Pty Ltd, issuing 3,011,765 fully paid ordinary shares on Aug. 28 as part of the consideration for that transaction, according to a cleansing notice subsequently filed with the ASX. The JPS acquisition expanded Tasmea’s presence specifically in liquefied natural gas, gas and broader energy infrastructure markets, adding a specialist services platform with established Tier-1 client relationships and technology-enabled isolation service offerings. According to deal summary documentation, the JPS acquisition also positions Tasmea for further international expansion, leveraging JPS’s existing client relationships in the United States and Africa. All five JPS founders and owner-managers have remained with the business under the deal, retaining significant equity stakes alongside a four-year earn-out structure designed to align incentives and ensure continuity through the integration period.

Industry analysts have pointed to the broader structural demand tailwinds driving Tasmea’s acquisition strategy, particularly the company’s growing exposure to data center construction. According to analysis published by EnkiAI, the specialized electrical infrastructure required to support artificial intelligence data centers has shifted from a routine construction component to the central bottleneck constraining new data center development, given that modern AI computing racks now demand between 50 and 100 kilowatts of power, compared with just 5 to 10 kilowatts for previous generations of computing infrastructure. That dynamic has made specialized electrical contractors like Maxim increasingly valuable acquisition targets for industrial services firms such as Tasmea seeking to establish a foothold in the rapidly growing data center construction market without building that specialized technical capability from scratch.

Tasmea previously reported robust financial results for the first half of fiscal 2026, posting a 36% increase in underlying EBIT to $44.3 million and a 32% rise in net profit to $26.6 million, according to Investing.com’s coverage of the results, with revenue growing 31% including acquisitions and 12% on an organic basis, driven by particularly strong performance within the company’s electrical and civil services segments.

Consensus analyst forecasts for Tasmea have continued improving throughout the year. According to Simply Wall St, the company’s fiscal 2026 revenue forecast has climbed from an earlier estimate of $717.3 million to $1.04 billion, while earnings-per-share estimates have risen from $0.289 to $0.295. Net income is forecast to grow 41% next year, outpacing the 26% growth rate projected for the broader Australian construction industry, with the consensus analyst price target rising from $4.73 to $5.05 in earlier tracking, a figure that has since been revised considerably higher given the stock’s continued rally throughout the year.

With Tuesday’s gain extending Tasmea’s remarkable run over the past year, investors will likely continue watching closely for further updates on the Maxim Group acquisition’s integration progress, additional bolt-on deals as part of the company’s broader programmatic growth strategy, and continued signs of demand from Australia’s expanding data center and energy infrastructure construction pipeline heading into the remainder of fiscal 2026 and beyond.