Absurd bureaucracy: Bakers are fined for half loaves without scales!

Curious controls cause fear and terror

German bureaucracy is once again living up to its name. As the newspaper "Bild" reports, bakers in the state capital of Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate) are currently hardly selling half loaves of bread. The reason: the State Office for Metrology and Calibration is currently causing fear and terror with strange controls.

German calibration law as a stumbling block

According to German calibration law, bread must be weighed before it is sold, which usually happens at the end of the production process. However, the bread is then often halved in the bakery in order to offer it in more practical sizes.

Incognito checks with drastic consequences

Employees of the authorities had therefore checked bakeries incognito to see whether the half loaves of bread had been weighed again before being sold. If this did not happen, fines in the three-digit euro range are said to have been imposed.

Political resistance to the madness

The CDU parliamentary group leader in the state parliament, Martin Brandl, fumed to the newspaper "Bild": "Never before have I experienced the concern that someone might end up with one slice too many or too few." This "nonsense" should be brought to an end as quickly as possible.

Weights and measures office under discussion

A spokesperson for the office announced to the newspaper "Rheinpfalz" that they would discuss the issue internally.

Conclusion:

The case of the bakeries in Mainz shows once again how absurd and excessive bureaucracy is a burden on the everyday lives of entrepreneurs and consumers. The penalties for half loaves without scales seem completely disproportionate and urgently need to be reviewed. It is to be hoped that the responsible authorities will relent and find practical solutions to avoid such nonsense in future. A citizen-oriented and sensible administration should be in everyone's interest.