Returns (bakery)
In the bakery trade, returns are the unsold excess stocks of baked goods when the shop closes .
General
It is not a question of returns in the strict sense of the word, because unsold goods have not reached the consumer and can therefore not be returned by him. Real returns are mostly the goods returned by the consumer to the mail order business. It is certainly not a question of returns because this term is limited to books and magazines. The bakery trade speaks of returns for bread and baked goods if they could not be sold by the time the shop closes. To preserve these baked goods from destruction, one can alternatively before closing sales for discounts and / or free distribution of tablets to be performed.
Legal issues
Bread and other baked goods belong to the perishable foods which, according to § 2 Paragraph 1 No. 2 LMHV , are microbiologically perishable in a short time and whose marketability can only be maintained if certain temperatures or other conditions are observed. The Regulation (EC) no. 178/2002 of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority food safety and laying down procedures in matters of food safety defined in Art. 2 as food 'or Products which are intended or which can reasonably be expected to be consumed by humans in a processed, partially processed or unprocessed state ”.
The end consumer can expect that locally baked goods are offered in a hygienically perfect form. The basis for this is laid down in the standard DIN 10535 (2014-09) "Food hygiene - baking stations in retail". It specifies hygiene requirements for the structural planning, equipment and operation of baking stations that are used for the preparation and delivery of baked goods. These are activities on "open food".
The use of DIN standards is voluntary. However, if an entrepreneur applies them, there is a presumption that he will comply with the hygiene requirements, in particular those of Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 of April 29, 2004 on food hygiene .
Handling of returns
Baked products with a low contribution margin should, if possible, be provided with no or at least very few returns. Optimizing returns also means promoting the sale of products with high profit margins (such as bread). In the bakery trade, returns are returned from branches to the headquarters, which is responsible for disposal .
