Fire at Purity bakery triggers hard bread shortage across Newfoundland and Labrador

A fire at the Purity bakery in March crippled the primary source of hard bread—also called hard tack, ship’s biscuit or sea biscuit—for Newfoundland and Labrador, leaving grocery aisles barren. The piece details the biscuit’s long history, from Roman legionary rations to medieval Crusader provisions and its adoption by Basque and British fishermen in the 1500s. It notes that the product was once imported from America and Hamburg, Germany, before local production began with the Rennie brothers’ mill in the 1830s. By the 1880s the province consumed tens of millions of biscuits annually, often prepared as fish and brewis, a staple breakfast.

The shortage highlighted the cultural attachment to the hard bread, prompting calls for its return. Purity confirmed that baking resumed in July, so stores should soon be replenished. The story underscores the link between a simple food item and regional heritage.