Packaged bacon

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32708, 10 September 1971, Page 10

Packaged bacon

Sir, —It is a growing practice for food processing firms to pack their products <n plastic containers which prevent the buyer from examining the goods. Recently I bought some bacon packed in a plastic vacuum pack. About half of the front of the pack was clear enough to. show that the bacon was fairly lean; which was what I wanted. It was packed by a Christchurch-based freezing company and was bought in me of the company’s retail shops. When we opened the pack we found the two top slices, visible through ~-the front of the plastic, were all right, but the rest of the bacon was-more thap threepuarters fat, and nbt very attractive fat at that. I have lad the same experience with bacon packed by two other firms whose goods are distributed throughout the country, It shows a poor stand-1 ard of commercial morality, is there any law thia: will deal with this mean trick?— Yours, etc., A.H. September 6, 1971. [The manager of a meat tompany comments: “The growing practice of vacuumpacking food products in plastic or similar material was introduced principally for the protection of the consumer. With the extraction of lir and weld sealing under vacuum in a non-penneable naterial the product will retain its freshness and appearmce for a considerable leriod, whereas food products lacked by other conventional nethods, unless rapidly turned over and consumed, vill deteriorate quickly with lacterial action by being excised to air, and if not :losely rotated or discarded

by the supplier or retailer could create a health hazard. We note that ‘A.H.’ has had an unfortunate experience with no fewer than three brands of packaged bacon and he suggests the companies concerned are possibly guilty of some malpractice of faulty packaging. Again may we assure ‘A.H.’ that such .is not the case. In this highly competitive field of trade no reputable company would deliberately attempt to conceal faulty or indifferent products by the method suggested; such action would be folly, for, after all, these companies rely for their very existence on the sale of the product to the consuming public and are conscious of the necessity to continually endeavour to improve product and product standards. However, as many thousands of these packets are processed daily it would also be impractical to state that no error could occur on the production line and we feel sure that if ‘A.H.’ had contacted the producers concerned they would have made every effort to see there was no room for further complaint. ‘A.H.’ is invited to visit at, short notice one of the producers, where he or she would be shewn the efforts and supervision that are policy-controlled to ensure that quality and presentation are maintained to the highest possible standards.”]