What the Colored Twist Ties on Bread Loaves Actually Mean

Testing loaves of bread in the grocery store is standard shopping protocol. It’s a universal bread aisle experience, regardless of how you do it — perhaps the visual once-over, a check of the expiration date, or a gentle squeeze to gauge for spring back. Chances are the bread you buy at Aldi or Costco is relatively fresh; store-bought sandwich loaves stored at room temperature typically keep about a week thanks to preservatives that fight off mold and staleness, though most only hang around a day or two before heading to the checkout lane. 

However, there is a way to tell how long your loaf has been at the store, and all you have to do is check the twist tie. Here’s what these color-coded tags mean and how they can help you get the best bread (no squeezing required).

Here’s Why Bakeries Use Colored Bread Tags

The tiny pieces of plastic that keep bread bags closed go by a few different names and styles. Some bakeries use twist ties, while others use tags (also called “bread buckles” or “bread clips”). Twists and tags are used interchangeably based on the bread manufacturer’s preference. However, both closures rely on a color-coordinated system to mark when the bread was scheduled for delivery to the store. This system isn’t necessarily for shoppers, though; it’s meant to help store stockers identify old bread that should be pulled from shelves. Looking at each loaf’s expiration date would be too time-consuming, so this color-coordinated visual trick speeds up stocking and guarantees only the freshest bread remains on shelves.

What Each Bread Tag Color Means

There’s a lot of variation among bread tag colors and their meanings. However, the color coding system most popularly circulating online suggests many bakeries and stores follow this pattern:

• Monday deliveries: blue tag
• Tuesday deliveries: green tag
• Thursday deliveries: red tag
• Friday deliveries: white tag
• Saturday deliveries: yellow tag

While not universal, this color rotation system is popular because it orders the tag colors alphabetically to match the beginning of the week (making it easier to remember). You probably noticed that Wednesday and Sunday are missing from the schedule — that’s because many (but not all) bakeries tend to pause production at least a few days a week, and there are often no deliveries on those days.

The Bread Tag Color System Isn’t Always Decodable

While you can attempt to identify the age of a bread loaf before you toss it into your cart, it’s not always as clear-cut as the color system above. Turns out there are a ton of variables that can throw off this trick. No universal color code is shared among commercial bakeries, so while Monday’s tag could be blue at one manufacturer, another could instead use white. To make it more confusing, stores also play a role in how often they accept deliveries (some may get daily drop-offs, while others just a few days a week).

Chances Are, You’ll Almost Always Get Fresh Bread

Fortunately, bread is cycled in and out of grocery stores quickly, so you don’t have to memorize or decode the bread buckle color system. While on occasion you might see two tag colors (indicating two days’ worth of bread deliveries), it’s common to see just one. Most grocers clear and restock their bread aisle shelves daily or every other day at most, meaning you can still get the freshest bread available without memorizing the tag colors.