The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-05-14
MILLIONS. WASTED
IN STALE BREAD
Food Research Institute Puts
Loss Each Year at From Five
to Ten Millions.

New York.zWaste in stale breat
costs the bakers and consumers OF thu
country from >$5,O0O,O0O to $10,000,00t
each year, according to the Food Re
search institute, which has just com
pleted a study Of the problem, says thu
New York Times. AS q means of re
ducing this loss, nOn-acceptance Of re
turn loaves, either through new laws
or action on the part of bakers, more
efficient deliveries and better quality
Of output, are suggested by the institute
The principal source Of loss is he re-
turn Of bread to the bakers after II
has become unstable. The institute
quotes the United States food admins
tration as estimating that in 1917 tie
loss from the return OF stale bread
amounted to upward Of 100000 bar
rels" Of -four a year.
The loss varies greatly in different
bakeries in the same city, and at vari-
Gus times. Replies to missionaries
emf out by the institute indicated a
very low average on the Pacific coast
and a relatively high percentage in the
Northeastern states.
The Food Research institute was es-
{ tablished at Stanford university In
1921, at the suggestion of Herbert
Hoover, by the joint action Of the uni
versity and the Carnegie corporation,
for the study of problems in he pro-
| duction, distribution and consumption
Of food. 1t is concentrating It's efforts
for the present on problems related to
wheat and wheat products, and it was
as a part Of this work that it studied
certain economic phases Of the baking
industry.
Losses From Stale Bread.
Losses from stale bread constitute
an important item OF cost for large
numbers Of wholesale bakers, and to
some extent for retail bakers as we'll"
says a summary of the survey. Large
stale bread losses tend to raise the
price of bread to consumers and to
threaten the financial position of the
baker. Moreover, since stale bread Is
largely used for animal feed, or even
for fuel, whenever considerable volume
must be disposed of the loss occasions
a needless waste of food.
"Our study leads to the conclusion
that, under proper conditions, stale
bread losses exceeding / per cent OF
production are excessive, and tina a
figure of one-half of / per cent is an
atainable standard. Losses above l
per cen reflect objectionable trade
practices. poor business management
Or both.
acceptance of returns of unsold
bread from dealers is by all odds the
leading factor in such losses wherever
the loss is high. Where this practice
prevails the loss is almost sure to be
excessive. The abandonment Of the
common practice of taking back I'M
sold bread from dealers is essential
to the solution Of the stale-bread prob
This change of policy would re-
certain dangers of food contami
nation as well as tend to cut down
The success of a no-returns
however, requires careful atten-
ton to other measures calculated to
insure that bread reaches the con-
sumner fresh.
Needed in Sale Of Bread.
"The principal requirements are the
Bread of a bookkeeping
must be baked, so that bread
q day or two old may be readily salable
as fresh. Reasonable effort must be
to keep down the time between
he baking of bread and It's purchase
~ consumers. Dealers requirements
must be gagged closely from day to
lay, with salesmen's orders as a basis,
)ut with adequate use of weather fore
lasts and other information concern
coming events that affect bread
sales. Production must be adjusted
,arefully to requirements, both in
and in time. Bakers must cul-
ivate the support of dealers and their |
sales force In securing this ad- |
ustment. Experience in the trade
hows clearly that these measures are
'ntirely practical.
IF they can meet these require
nents, individual bakers can success |
ully enforce a no-returns policy, even
Vhen competing bakers take back I'M .
old bread. Competition, however, :
1akes 1t difficult for concerns to adopt i
enforce this policy single-handed. \
.ocal agreements among leading
wholesalers not to exchange unsold
often afford a practicable
lethod of abolishing this Objectionable
Such agreements are In the
ublic interest, but they are not easily
dopted, cannot always be enforced, II
nd tend to break down.
estate laws prohibiting returns Of Il
nsold bread have recently been K
1opted in six states. Their constitu- If
onaIity is sometimes called in ques- T
on, but has not yet been tested. AL Is
Iough not yet fully observed, they e
I've clearly facilitated reduction In Is
ale bread losses Is
N~..~- NA.xo,n C>n%~n~An a~,,> He