- Author: Matthias Urbach
- Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes
Dispute over Sausage Casing: Are We Paying for Packaging Twice? - Ongoing dispute over the type of casing for the sausage.
Tuesday saw a heated debate in the Federal Administrative Court of Leipzig revolving around liver sausage: Does the skin and metal clip fall under the product or the packaging? The former is a cost to you, the latter is not. In theory, the 1976 EU regulation is clear: the skin and clips belong to the product.
However, the weighing office responsible for the Warendorf district had other ideas. They pointed to a newer regulation on food information, enacted in 2014, which prohibits the sale of liver sausage if the skin and clips are part of the product weight. Since the outer packaging displays 130 grams of liver sausage, but only 128 grams are actually edible due to the weight of the clip and skin, this led to a prolonged legal battle.
The case made its way through various courts, ultimately landing at the foot of the Federal Administrative Court. Yesterday, the highest court ruled in favor of the weighing office. "The weight of the food inside should match what's stated on the outside," Judge Ulla Held-Daab explained her decision. Non-edible wrappers and clips do not count.
Packaging Regulations: As Ancient as Trade Itself
Most consumers likely don't fret over paying for the sausage skin. In fact, many might not even be aware of the rules surrounding the food trade. The topic of "Tara", the trading term for packaging weight, has been a whisper for decades. Tara describes the weight difference between the product and its packaging, and customers should only pay for the product, not the wrapper.
The trend of paying for the actual product began long ago. The word Tara comes from the Arabic "taraha," which means "remove," finding its way into German via Italian in the 14th century. In the past, complaints about overweight packaging at markets were common, especially with high-quality items like Parma ham or North Sea crabs, where the charge could quickly total 50 cents or more. Thankfully, with the rise of supermarkets and pre-packaged goods, such complaints dwindled as manufacturers adhered to the rules.
However, with the growing interest in environmentalism, consumers have started bringing their own packaging to reduce waste, and some supermarkets now offer reusable nets for fruits and vegetables. The checkout staff, however, seems to struggle with the wide variety of bags and nets. A test conducted by the Consumer Advice Center Baden-Württemberg revealed that in more than half the cases, test customers were charged too much for their reusable bags.
A New Problem Unearthed: Heavier Packaging
Moreover, the new reusable bags are much heavier than the plastic alternatives: a cotton net weighs a substantial 56 grams, with the usual 2 grams of Tara for the plastic bag deducted. This can make a notable difference, especially when purchasing expensive organic fruits, where customers may unwittingly pay an extra euro or more due to the bag's weight. Unfortunately, most shops fail to display the Tara on the receipts, leaving consumers baffled at the checkout.
The System at a Standstill. In two cases of the test conducted by the Consumer Advice Center Baden-Württemberg, the markets calculated too little. When using the self-checkout at Edeka and weighing yourself, the sheer number of available tare weights (ranging from 2 to 222 grams at one Berlin branch) can be overwhelming.
Trade: No Concerns with Packaging Rule
The Association of Food Retailers (BVLH) affirms that they strictly follow metrology law regarding the tare rule: "If it's not completely clear whether a package weighs two grams or four grams, we'll subtract four grams from the weight," says association lawyer Axel Haentjes. So, what should consumers do?
When shopping, ensure that the tare button is pressed during weighing at the checkout. If available, the checkout will display this. If you can't find the correct tare weight at the self-checkout, weigh without a bag. Ultimately, only the product needs to be paid for, not the packaging.
And, as of yesterday, this rule now applies to liver sausage skin, too.
Sources: Federal Administrative Court, Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia, BVLH, Consumer Advice Center Hamburg, Consumer Advice Center Baden-Württemberg, dpa
- Food Safety
- Sausage
- Environmentalism
- The debate in the Federal Administrative Court of Leipzig centered on the classification of liver sausage skin as either product or packaging, with consequences for consumer cost.
- Consumers are often unaware of the rules surrounding the trading term "Tara," which represents the weight difference between the product and its packaging, with customers only expected to pay for the former.
- In a recent test conducted by the Consumer Advice Center Baden-Württemberg, it was discovered that many shops fail to display the Tara on receipts, causing confusion at checkout.
- With the growing trend of environmentalism, consumers are increasingly using reusable bags, but these bags often have a heavier weight than their plastic counterparts, potentially leading to unexpected costs at the checkout.
