Bavarian bakery banned from selling half-loaves after weight dispute

A bakery in Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria, has been prohibited from selling half-loaves of bread following a customer complaint regarding weight discrepancies. Master baker Matthias Breitner, who has operated the business for 66 years, traditionally sells half-loaves by cutting a whole loaf in half and charging exactly half the price.

The dispute began when an anonymous customer emailed the bakery, claiming a half-loaf weighed ten grams less than expected. Despite the small margin, the customer contacted the Eichamt (weights and measures office).

As a result, authorities have banned the sale of half-loaves unless they are weighed using officially calibrated precision scales with exact pricing applied to each piece. The regulatory intervention has reportedly cost the bakery 15,000 euros.