Spinneys

The bread exam

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide, accounting for 1 in 6 cancer deaths.

When the disease is detected early enough, women survive in 96% of cases.

Yet self-palpation is still stifled by tradition and cultural taboos, preventing women from examining themselves and going to the doctor in time.

To overcome these taboos, Spinneys and the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation decided to use tradition to their advantage, teaching women self-palpation through a similar gesture: kneading bread.

After being trained by a gynecologist, traditional Lebanese baker Um Ali performs these gestures on bread dough in a video recipe, without ever mentioning or showing her breasts, in order to respect women’s culture and privacy.