Consumerline - News

Portadown bakery fined for selling shortweight bread - 11/11/2008

Portadown Bakery, W D Irwin and Sons Ltd, today pleaded guilty to ten charges under the Weights & Measures (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.

Portadown Bakery, W D Irwin and Sons Ltd, was today fined £1,500, plus £44 court costs, at Craigavon Magistrates' Court, for selling shortweight bread.

In a case brought by the Trading Standards Service of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, W D Irwin and Sons Ltd, Diviny Drive, Carn Industrial Estate, Craigavon, pleaded guilty to ten charges under the Weights & Measures (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.

In April 2008, a Trading Standards Inspector was routinely check-weighing produce for sale in supermarkets when it was discovered that 38 out of 51 loaves from two lines contained less than the 600g marked weight. In some cases the deficiency was more than 10%.

A follow-up visit to the bakery revealed that no checks had been made to ensure the weights of the particular batches of loaves were correct.

Trading Standards Area Inspector, Bill Malloy said, "Consumers are entitled to expect that the bread they buy weighs as stated on the packaging. Bakeries have an obligation to ensure that the weight of loaves meets the minimum weight standards laid down, and should have measures in place to check this.

"With the increasing price of many foods, it is more important than ever that consumers are sold the amount stated on the packaging of products."

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