Evening star., 1947-10-19
District Bakeries See
Supply Limit as Best
Way 10 Save Bread

Way 10 Save Bread
The main contribution most large
Washington bakeries can make to
the food conservation effort is to
limit bread supplies to grocers and
other establishments on the basis
OF average retail sales records, Off
clals OF several companies agreed
yesterday.
This would cut down the amount
OF bread which stores have been
returning unsold, it was explained.
A spokesman for a large bakery
said he knew of "only very few"
District concerns which already
nave moved to remedy that situa-
ton. Another company official de-
ciared the problem is complicated
oy commission and consignment
selling systems that encourage driv-
ers to sell the largest possible guam
Titles or result in grocers taking
more bread than they normally sell
representative of a company
baking bread only on specific order
with no bread returns" declared
that comparatively big quantities
OF bread have occasionally grown
stale on overstocked shelves" as a
result Of the system. /
Bakers Hope TO Comply.
Most of the bakers said they
hoped to comply with the -four con-
serVatlon program agreed on be-
tween industry representatives and
the Citizens Food Committee. They
added that they did not know how
soon the specific moves could be
made or how effective they would
be here.
1t was explained that some
bakeries already have cut down on
production of cakes and other pas
try items for which the public de-
mand Is usually low. There has
been no widespread move as vet inI
the industry here to follow a fur
ther recommends ton for using more
noncritical materials such as fruits
and sugar in combination with -four
All the bakers interviewed yester-
day, however, said they did not favor
a proposal for producing half-pound
loaves in quantity. They said this
might be, possible here as it is in
a few other sections of the country
But they feared it would be imprac-
tlcal both from food saving stand
point and a manufacturing view
point. Higher labor and equipment
costs would offset any possible con-
servation of food, they said.
Idea Is Abandoned.
The idea was discussed with Chair
man Charles Luckman of the Citi-
zens Food Committee Friday. Be-
cause of difficulties involved it was
abandoned as national suggestion.
Officials of several large baking
companies here gave these lea
sons why they do not believe halt
loaf would be better than one:
/. While two half-pound loaves
probably could be made in baking
pans now used for the standard one
pound loaf. more labor and time
would be necessary. Calculating the
amount of cubic inches of dough for
two half-pound loaves in a single loaf
pan would create an added difficulty. |
Best results could be obtained only
from new equipment designed for
the half-pound loaf and such equip
ment cannot be readily obtained
Q. Standard size loaves could be
cut in half but, as in the case OF a
separate half-size loaf, there would .
be major problems in wrapping. !
This would require special size paper
and additional machinery. Changes
in paper design and size could not be
made for two or three months.
Slicing Almost Impossible.
8, The slicing operation would be
almost impossible in the case of half
pound loaves because present ma
chinery is for slicing standard size.
Cutting standard loaves in half
would not be a prime difficulty,
4. A half loaf would be unpopular
with customers and also more ex-
pensive. One baking company
official estimated that half loaf
sold separately would have to be
priced two or three cents higher
than the proportionate cost in a full
loaf.
Some bakers saw possible legal
complications in the District weight
law. This law prohibits reduction
in the weight of loaf of bread but
allows sale in multiples of half
pound, pound or pound and half. /.
While some Washington bakeries
sell half pound loaves as well as un-
sliced or unwrapped bread, the ma
jority are equipped only to meet
what they regard as a great public
demand for sliced, wrapped and
standard one-pound loaves, several
bakers said.
Il know of no bakery in the Dis
trict that is equipped to produce
such a half loaf in quantity noW,'
Paul K. Corcoran, general manager |
of the Holmes Baking Co., said. 1T
is being done in few parts of the
country but I don't think it would
be practical here"
War Changes Cited.
During the. war, he recalled, /
bakers we're allowed to manufacture
loaf of 10 per cent less weight but
this authorization ended so days
after cessa ton of hostilities.
James B. Luttes of the Conti-
mental Baking Co. said manufacture
of the half loaf was possible but
not practical"
The additional cost of wrapping,
slicing, and extra handling would
result in a price increase. he said.
If a full loaf costs about IA cents, !
for example, two half loaves might
cost as high as 10 cents each, he
estimated.
Most bakeries would have to OBJ :
tain at least one new wrapping
machine at a cost of $4,000, Mr..
Luttes added.
Louis Graeves of the Schneider
Baking Co. said the matter was
discussed thoroughly with Mr.. .
Luckman and discarded because of /
the mechanical difficulties and a
doubt that substantial bread saw