THE UNDER-WEIGHT BREAD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 24, 18 June 1914, Page 2

THE UNDER-WEIGHT BREAD.

AND THE REASON K>K IT. A BAKER'S VIEWS.

The bakers of New Plymouth 'have recently received a visit from the Health Inspector (Mr. I<\. G. Fielder) and the inspector of weights and measures (Constaible J. Wroblenski), and, as a result, it h stated that several of them are likely to .be prosecuted for the sale of short-weight bread. A Daily News representative yesterday paid a visit to one of tlie oldest established bakers in New Plymouth, and enquired the reason for the bread, being under weight. "It iB," said the man of flour, "im'possible for us to guarantee the weight of «ur loaves after :baking, and personally I never attempt to do so. It is gener- | ally acknowledged among bakers that !an allowance before baking of tihree j ounces in a two pound loaf, and six , ounces in a four pound loaf, us a niakeI weight against .shrinkage, is a fair allowance, 'but no olie can siay exactly how much a loaf will shrink in the ibaking; consequently a wise baker sells his loaves at a certain price without guaranteeing weigiht. Again, some of our customers will specially ask for wellbaked or crusty loaves, and the extra baking to bring about thin effect results in an additional sihrinkage. We merely sell our loaves as fourpenny ana cightpenny loaves. The matter has frequently besn discussed among bakers, and our executive in Wellington brought the matter before the Health Department, but apparently without avail. The inspector told me that he knew a (baker who would guarantee the weight of his loaves twelve ihours after baking, but in my thirty yeans' experience I have never known that to be possible. I once instructed all my carters to tell custon'crs that they could not guarantee the weight of the loaves, but would, if necessary, make up tno weight of one loaf with a piece cut from another, but I was given to understand that this was not allowed. \ WHAT THE LAW SAYS.

The Health Inspector, when approached on the matter, said that he had no doubt that* prosecutions would follow his inspection. The regulations under the Saie o: Food *nd Druga Act stated definitely as follows:—"Every person commits an offence •who sella any bread Hie weight of which at the time of the sale is less thaa the seller represents it to be, or the buyer demands. Every person wfoo sells any loaf weighing at the time of sale less than four pounds, but more than three pounds, flihaM be deemed to represent its weight to ibc four pounds unless ho states its true weight to the buyer at the time of sale. The same applies to the sale of a loaf less than two pounds or more than one pound." ' "The bakers," said Mr. Fielder, "know tbis, and they sjc expected lo allow for shrinkage when tbey make up the dougf:i. One baker told me that he could guarantee the weight of hia loaves twelve (hours after baking."