The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-06-22
MILLIONS WASTED
IN STALE BREAD
Food Research Institute Puts
Loss Each Year at From Five
to Ten Millions.


| country from $5,0OO,O0 to 100000
each year, according to the Food Re
search institute. which has just com
pleted study of the problem, says tn
| 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 qualit.
Of output, are suggested by the institute
The principal source Of loss Is the re
/ turn Of bread to the bakers after i
has become unstable. The institute
quotes the United States food admins
tration as estimating that In 1917 the
loss from the return Of stale bread
amounted to upward of 100000 bar
rels" Of -four year.
The loss varies greatly in different
bakeries in the same city, and at vari-
GUS times. Replies to Questionnairea
sent out by the institute Indicated Z
very low average on the Pacific coast
and a relatively high percentage In the
northeastern states. y
The Food Research institute was e.
tablished at Stanford university N
1921, at the suggestion of Herbert
Hoover, by the joint action Of the uni
vsrstty and the Carnegie corporation.
for the study OF problems In the pro-
duction, distribution and consumption
Of food. 1t is concentrating It's efforts
for the present Oh problems reiatad to
wheat and wheat products, and 1t was
as a part Of this work that It studied
certain economic phases Of the baking
industry. -Ss ~
Losses From etais 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 vel"
says q 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 10
largely used for animal feed, or even
for fuel, whenever considerable volume
must be disposed Of the loss occasions
q needless waste of food.
"Our study leads to the conclusion
that, under proper conditions, stale
bread losses exceeding l. per cent OF
production are excessive, and that a
figure Of one-half Of 1 per cent Is an
attainable standard. Losses above ]
per cent 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 un
sold bread from dealers is essential
to the solution Of the stale-bread prob
lem. This change Of policy would re-
duce certain dangers of food contami-
nation as well as tend to cut down
waste. The success of no-returns
policy, however, requires careful atten-
ton to other measures calculated to
insure that bread reaches the con-
sumer fresh.
Needed in Sale Of Bread.
1.-THE principal requirements are the
Bread of bookkeeping ,
quality must be baked, so that bread |
a day or two old may be readily salable
as fresh. Reasonable effort must be
made to keep down the time between
he baking of bread and its purchase
~ consumers. Dealers requirements
must be gagged closely from day to
lay, with salesmen's orders as basis,
,ut with adequate use Of weather fore
lasts and other information concern
ng coming events that affect bread
ales. Production must be adjusted
arefully to requirements, both in
mount and in time. Bakers must Gull
ivate the support of dealers and their
wn 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
1ents, individual bakers can success
ully enforce a no-returns policy, even
'hen competing bakers take back I'M
old bread. Competition, however,
,akes 1t difficult for concerns to adopt ,
nd enforce this policy single-handed. .
Ocal agreements among leading .
not to exchange unsold
read often afford q practicable
ethod Of abolishing this Objectionable :,
ractice. Such agreements are IN the
ublic interest, but they are not easily
1opted, cannot always be enforced,
I'D tend to break down.
Estate laws psohibiting returns Of .
,sold bread have z recently been
lopted In dig 1seeess Their consfitu-.
onality n sdAsfiuase ceftsd in ques-
On, but has M ~ ben tested. A.
ough not ~ -fniiy pA1efyed they
we clearly facftitated reduction in
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