Weighing and dispensing unit

A unit for weighing and dispensing portions of flowable food for a supply of such food, said unit comprising a receptacle for receiving said supply, a dispensing chamber opening into said receptacle, weighing means including a weighing platform disposed in said dispensing chamber and carried by a movable weighing support, and vibrator means coupled to a bottom wall of the receptacle for feeding food from the receptacle, into the dispensing chamber and onto the weighing platform, the weighing platform being retained in one position to receive food and being releasable to move into another position to discharge the food therefrom in accordance with a predetermined amount of movement of the weighing support corresponding to a preselected weight of food on the weighing platform, characterized by means for stopping the weighing movement of the weighing support at a location prior to the point of the preselected weight and simultaneously the vibrator means and thereafter permitting the weighing movement to continue and vibrator means to operate or the weighing platform to release as the case may be.