GROCERS ADAMANT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26693, 12 February 1948, Page 6

GROCERS ADAMANT

WRAPPING OF BREAD \ QUESTION OF CONTAMINATION “ The regulation requiring that all bread should be wrapped by the grocer before sale is absolutely foolish. Not only is the margin of profit of Id a loaf in city areas too small, but there just isn’t any paper,” said Mr D. Cunningham (Auckland) at the annual conference of the New Zealand Master Grocers’ Federation last night. “Most of the grocers of the Dominion are not prepared to wrap bread on the present margin of profit, 1 ’ he continued. “ When I found that paper was unobtainable I tried to get information, but that was also .in short supply.” Mr H. R. Blott (Auckland) said that if the bread was to be wrapped it should be done by the baker, any contamination ' would probably occur before the bread reached the grocer’s shop. Before the baker could wrap the bread, however, a drying room would have to be built, machinery would have to be imported from either the United Kingdom or the United States, and supplies of waxed paper become available. This whole process would take at least two years, and increase the price by at least ljd a loaf. Messrs J. Railton (Christchurch) and H. A. Fanselow (Wellington) both recommended that if grocers were not satisfied with the conditions attached to the sale of bread the obvious alternative was not to handle the product. The conference finally resolved that no useful purpose could be served by discussing the matter until bread was wrapped in the bakehouse.