Approved weighing scales provide crucial data in Sauerkrautathon World Record attempt

Weighing equipment supplied by Weightron Bilanciai has played a small, yet vital role, in a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest amount of Sauerkraut produced from a single day’s preparation.

The weigh-in for the so-called ‘Sauerkrautathon’ took place on Friday, 26th October 2018, in the centre of Wells in Somerset. The fermented sauerkraut was weighed on one of Weightron’s Model PRM 600 kg capacity, low profile, stainless steel floor scale connected to their versatile DD1050 touch screen weight terminal. The hygienic PRM is ideal for food applications and features a gas lift platform to enable thorough wash-down cleaning after use.

The vegetables had been sliced and diced two weeks prior to the weigh-in by over 150 volunteers and then stored in large tubs to allow the all-important fermentation process to take place. In front of a large crowd, Andrew Wilson, the official weights and measures witness confirmed that, together, the team of volunteers had made 359.6 kg of delicious, tangy sauerkraut, wholly fit for consumption.

Weightron’s area sales manager John Harbour attended the weigh-in.

“Although this is a somewhat quirky weighing application” said John “We are always pleased to support local companies in such activities. It was very important to ensure that the recorded weight was accurate and in accordance with weights and measures requirements.”

Sauerkrautathon is the brain-child of Katie Venner from Tracebridge Sourdough and Jo Webster from Wondergut, two fermenting proponents from Somerset, who love sharing their enthusiasm for fermented foods and passion for gut health with anyone who will listen! Between them, they’ve taught hundreds of people how to introduce simple fermented foods into their diets and shared the science behind why they are so good for us. As Jo explained:

“What better way to spread the word about the benefits of fermented foods than by setting the Guinness World Record for making the largest recorded dish of bacterially fermented cabbage? We are grateful for the support given by our main sponsors – Riverford Organic Farmers, Yeo Valley and Symprove Ltd. This has given us the opportunity to advertise the health benefits of fresh vegetables and, in particular, fermented vegetables, to a much wider audience.”

Footnote: All this effort has not gone to waste – after the weigh-in, the sauerkraut has been packaged and distributed to outlets and individuals around the County. Meanwhile, Jo and Katie now need to deliver all the documentation to Guinness and then wait to see if they have set a Record! They hope their record will soon be broken – maybe at Sauerkrautathon 2019?!!