Conditions

Artisan Baker Association requires clear sourdough and organic labelling practices, and a declaration that vegetable shortening containing Synthetic Trans Fats is not used in the bakery.

Artisan Baker Association Bakery Standards
Latest revision: 21 August 2009

An ARTXX standard is a bakery's declaration that their product meet minimum criteria identified by consumers and bakers as being important to them. The marks are available to Artisan Baker Association member bakeries as a tool to describe their goods to customers.

Minimum Requirements:

  1. The bakery is involved in a genuine dialogue that shows
    consideration for the people they are baking for and the bakers they
    employ.
  2. Teaching and sharing artisan baking knowledge and skills is part
    the bakery's ethos. This may include fermentation, hand molding, oven
    management, nutritional and cultural research, recipe creation skills.
  3. The term "sourdough" is only used to describe bread made from naturally fermenting leaven and does not contain any added commercial yeast, flavouring agents or additives intended to immitate sourdough process or flavour. 
  4. The bakery or baking group does not use industrially formulated bread improver or flour treatment agents in any of its products (compulsory vitamin is permitted in non-organic flour where it is unavoidable).
  5. Greater than 50% of total bakery production (by flour weight) is composed of Sourdough and/or Organic goods.
  6. Ascorbic acid and gluten flour are declared as additives.
  7. The bakery or baking group does not add or include synthetic trans fats in any of its products.
  8. Labeling is clear and does not leave open the possibility that the
    product 'may or may not' be Organic or Sourdough, or make any other
    unsubstantiated claim.
  9. Breads using commercial yeast are made using long fermentation methods.
  10. The bakery strives for best quality practice by making quality goods from quality ingredients in a high quality working environment.

Artisan Baker Association Logo
Latest Revision: 21 August 2009

-The Association's logo is available to bakeries that declare they meet the above membership criteria and are members of the Artisan Baker Association. It can only appear on products that are listed on the member's bakery page with the appropriate standard.