WASHINGTON: The National Bread Leadership Council plans a stepped-up program of industry relations, media relations, and nutritional research to remind Americans why bread is an important part of their daily meals.

The council, a two-year-old trade association, recently held a National Bread Summit in Rhode Island with 150 industry leaders and roughly 50 media representatives in attendance. The summit was seen as a first step toward getting out bread's side of the debate in a country where low-carb diets are rapidly ...