Bavarian bakery faces costs over bread weight dispute

A bakery owner in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Bavaria, faces a 15,000 euro cost following a consumer complaint regarding bread weight. Matthias Breitner, who runs a family bakery, traditionally halved loaves for customers by eye, charging half the price of a full loaf.

The issue arose when a customer weighed a purchased half-loaf and claimed it was 10 grams underweight. After an anonymous complaint, German authorities investigated the bakery's sales method. Under German regulations, sliced bread must be weighed on calibrated scales to ensure customers pay for the exact weight, rather than a fixed fraction of a whole loaf. This regulatory requirement has forced the bakery to change its sales procedures.