The baguette is almost synonymous with French gastronomy but a decline in the consumption of the staple bread in the past few years has left French bakers worried. Together, they have launched a campaign to get people to eat more loaves.
The campaign’s slogan, “Coucou, tu as pris le pain?” (“Hey there, did you pick up the bread?”), has been on billboards, bus shelters and bakery windows for the past three months. The reduction in bread consumption is arguably due to a shift in eating patterns, with people snacking on-the-go instead of sitting down to a meal. Furthermore, fewer bakeries are making baguettes in the traditional way, relying on frozen bread to save costs.
The country’s bakers association is distributing leaflets to tourists advising them to look out for the word “boulanger” or “boulangerie” on shop fronts—this means the bread is prepared fresh. Good bakeries will offer a variety of traditional bread, containing flour, water, yeast and salt, but no additives.