THE BREAD OF LIFE...

is, physically speaking, bread, of course. But with the recent Atkins Diet craze US bakers are worried:

The growing craze for high protein, low carbohydrate slimming regimes such as the Atkins diet is threatening the market for one of the staple foods of the West - bread.

Consumption of bread plummeted in America in the past year with an estimated 40 per cent of Americans eating less than in 2002. The US bread industry is to hold a crisis "bread summit" tomorrow to discuss measures to curb falling sales. In Britain, the Federation of Bakers launched a promotional campaign last month to counter the Atkins effect. British Bread month was advertised with the slogan "Use your loaf, have another slice."

Ok, even I admit to cutting back on my bread consumption over the past couple of years. But if I go to a steak place I'm always as interested in how good the bread is (and how quickly the waiter replenishes it) as I am how accurately they fix my medium rare steak.

Not to panic, bakers--bread ye shall always have with thee. Atkins won't last forever.

[Link via Drudge. You know how to get there on your own.]