FAST FACT

The color of the twist tie on a loaf of bread, or in many cases those tiny plastic clips, indicates what day of the week the bread was baked on. It’s not just to keep the contents fresh or to keep the contents from falling out. It’s used so that those stocking the shelves know when to pull “old” bread.

This process of coding the bread makes the stocker’s job of replacing the bread much easier. Bread only stays on the shelves for a few days, and the color helps determine when the old stuff has to go. At most, there will be two colors of tags present on bread shelves, depending on the delivery schedule of the bread to the grocery store.

There really isn’t any set color code to the day of the week the bread is baked on since bread manufacturers each have their own system, so it’s possible there could be a whole slew of colors inhabiting your grocer’s bread aisle. The color of the ties really won’t allow you to get the freshest loaf, however, unless you know your bread maker’s system. At least you now know those tags aren’t there just to look pretty.