In 1757, a riot erupted in Manchester, England, after bakers were accused of adding chalk and powdered bones to bread to keep it white. The public outrage over this adulteration contributed to the passage of the Making of Bread Act later that year. The riot reflected the deep-seated anger of the working class over the corruption of their staple food.

The Manchester bread riot became a symbol of popular resistance to food fraud, and it was referenced in contemporary pamphlets and ballads. The incident highlighted the connection between food quality and social unrest, a theme that would be explored by Romantic poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The riot also underscored the need for effective food regulation.