Packaging regulation for stollen causes displeasure in Saxony

Is Christmas stollen a to-go product? The new packaging rule for stollen is causing displeasure in Saxony. The Federal Environment Agency had decided that the 750-gram stollen, which is usually packaged in foil, falls under the Disposable Plastics Act. A levy is therefore due. On Saturday, Saxony's Economics Minister Dirk Panter (SPD) also joined the ranks of critics.

Regulation looks "like a modern-day prank"

"Nobody understands regulations like this. Who would seriously believe that someone would eat a 750-gram stollen on the go in winter? The powdered sugar alone makes that impossible," explained Panter. Classifying stollen as a to-go product seems "like a modern-day prank" and is exactly the kind of unnecessary bureaucracy that rightly upsets people.

According to Panter, burdening Saxon stollen bakers with a levy for supposed to-go products is "impractical". There are already enough annoyances in the everyday lives of businesses, he says, and they should not be burdened with unrealistic hurdles. Of course it is important to protect the environment. "But we should keep common sense in mind and not create rules that ignore reality."

FDP: No one eats stollen out of their hand on the go

The FDP had described the regulation as "bureaucratic madness" and an "attack" on Saxon craftsmanship. "Nobody eats a Dresden Christmas stollen out of their hand on the go. This classification is absurd and shows how far removed bureaucracy has become from the reality of life," explained FDP leader Matthias Schniebel. "Anyone who treats stollen like fast food has understood nothing - neither about craftsmanship nor about culture and tradition in Saxony."

According to SPD member of the state parliament Simone Lang, bakers have already been confronted with price increases for ingredients in recent years. She called on the Federal Environment Agency to reconsider the general ruling and find a practical solution.