Bread prices

Press, 14 October 1985, Page 12

Bread prices

Sir,—G. Barnes makes an interesting point that Government controls keep bread prices unnecessarily high. That is correct, but another fact is that Government controls also reduce the quality of bread. Until fairly recently the quality and range of New Zealand bread was in general very poor because until fairly recently bread was price-controlled. Ordinary white bread can be naturally fermented over several hours, shortened with butter or lard, baked thoroughly and cooled properly before wrapping, or it can be thrashed to death in a high-speed mixer, dosed with potassium bromate to eliminate the fermentation process, filled with cheap beef fat derivatives and delivered to your shelves in a soggy bag. When bread was price-controlled with a 5c profit a loaf, you can guess which process the cost-conscious baker chose. Only since price controls were removed from bread has over-all quality improved.—Yours, etc., T. R. LOUDON. Kaiapoi, October 7. 1985.