Manhattan’s Chinatown has many Chinese-owned bakeries that make their own breads and

Manhattan’s Chinatown has many Chinese-owned bakeries that make their own breads and pastries. Very few bakeries, however, include ingredient labels and expiration dates on the homemade goods.

On April 4, a bakery located on East Broadway was fined by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) for selling cookies and bread without the labels, an omission which violates health and sanitary regulations. As a result, the bakery’s owner must appear in court in May. This incident reflects a neglected issue among Chinese businesses that produce homemade goods, therefore making it a situation which business owners should pay attention to.

According to the DCA, foods such as cookies, pastries, buns, and almond cakes should come with proper labels that list the ingredients as those foods can cause allergies. All foods must also have a label with the expiration date.

Ms. Li, the owner of the fined bakery, said that inspectors from the DCA mostly examined food over the counter, such as buns and cookies, but not food behind the counter. Nearly all small Chinese-owned bakeries produce homemade goods, with cookies and breads made and sold daily.

The customers are usually Chinese residents who live nearby and none have asked about expiration dates. They usually eat the bread within a day or two of buying it. Ms. Li has been running the store for about a year, and this is the first time she has been fined. Since the incident, she has included expiration date and ingredient labels for her homemade goods. She also prints out “made fresh everyday” stickers.

According to legal experts, if Ms. Li remedies the situation before her court date and provides documentation, she may not be fined.

Another owner of an East Broadway bakery said that she was not aware of the requirement to put labels on baked goods. Many bakeries put out bags of buns for customers to pick up and purchase. Some bakeries even sell homemade herbal tea. However, the food does not have an expiration date or ingredient label.

Furthermore, on East Broadway, there are many street vendors that sell homemade food, which also does not have any labels. Neither the owners nor their customers have had any problems.

Even though owners feel frustrated by the situation, many customers agree that it is a good idea to have labels on homemade food. Ms. Chu, a customer, said that she regularly buys buns for breakfast at a bakery near her home. Usually, she finishes the food within a day or two. She doesn’t pay attention to the expiration date, but if there were one, she would feel more at ease.

Ms. Li also mentioned that once in a while, there are non-Chinese customers who shop at her bakery. They ask about expiration dates and ingredient information.

Translated by Connie Yik Kong from Chinese ny.worldjournal.com