Retail Meat Must Now Carry Price Tickets

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28767, 12 December 1958, Page 12

Retail Meat Must Now Carry Price Tickets

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, December 11. In future, retail meat must carry tickets showing the price.

Announcing this today, the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Holloway) said that the Government, along with consumers, had been concerned for some time at the high and varying level of retail prices of meat. He hoped that this new requirement for the ticketing of meat would stimulate competition and provide a valuable aid to the housewives, who should be able to compare prices and thus buy their meat where they could get the best value.

“Price ticketing and the public display of price lists are to help purchasers to buy better,” said Mr Holloway. “This is to provide a better service.”

The notice applies to ail retail sales of fresh and frozen beef, pork, lamb, hogget or mutton and offal meat of these types. It does not at this stage apply to processed meat. In the last session of Parliament, an amendment was made to the Control of Prices Act, under which the Minister of Industries and Commerce was empowered to require ticketing of goods in retail shops. This is the first step taken under this new legislation. As it is found necessary to institute a similar system for other goods, this will be done. Mr Holloway said he was pleased that the New Zealand Meat Retailers’ Federation had discussed this proposal with officers of the Department ot Industries and Commerce, and that the Federation agreed generally with the provisions of the notice and had offered the Government its full co-operation. Commenting on the detailed requirements under the notice, Mr Holloway said that not only would butchers and other retailers ot meat be required to exhibit price lists in a prominent place in public view showing the price per lb or the price for each piece, but they would be required also to fix to each joint or cut of meat offered for sale a ticket showing the total retail price of the joint or cut.

In cases where the meat was offered for sale in a form other than a joint or cut, the ticket would show the retail price per lb for each piece. To assist housewives in cases where the meat is not easily identifiable with the description in the price list, it must be described by a ticket fixed to the meat.