A recent Consumer Council survey has uncovered many instances of short weight in prepacked fresh food at selected supermarkets, frozen meat and grocery stores.
Out of the 51 samples - meat, fish, vegetable and fruit - which were sold by weight, the Council found, with the exception of 5 samples, all the rest of 46 samples (or 90%) to fall short of the weight labelled on these products.
The incidence of short weight in prepacked fresh food found in this survey is believed to be possibly the tip of an iceberg of the problem.
Under the Weights and Measures Ordinance, traders supplying any goods by weight or measure are required to use the net weight or measure, legibly marked on the package or label if the goods are prepacked.
Non-compliance of the Ordinance by supplying prepacked goods by weight other than by net weight, or in weight short of the quantity purporting to be supplied, is an offence.
In the survey, conducted earlier last month, the samples were measured and their net weight compared against the labelled weight. On some labels (39 samples out of 61 samples), the weight indicated were purportedly net weight.
The survey revealed that in a more severe case, a beef steak, the discrepancy between the purported net weight (0.66 lb or 299.4 g) and the measured net weight (241.9 g) reached a high 19.2% less! Further, a prepacked fish was short-weight by 16.6%, and a beef short rib by 10.4%.
Otherwise, in the majority of cases, the shortfall in weight was relatively mild - 27 items below 5% and 16 between 5% and 10%.
Nonetheless, given the vast range of prepacked fresh food products and the quantity sold daily at retail stores across the territory, the financial drain on consumers could be considerable, and good profits to the traders.
Of the 21 items of prepacked fish covered in the survey, all were found without exception to fall short of the weight labelled, in particular, 9 of the fish samples that contained cooking ingredients (stated in small print on the labels) such as ginger, spring onion, red pepper, lemon or soybean, and even, in one sample, soya sauce and mustard.
The 9 samples were measured both for the net weight of the fish alone and the total weight of the fish plus ingredients and condiments; the results were most revealing.
The net weight of fish measured was found to be far below the weight indicated on the package - by 8.2% to as much as 25.7%. And even comparing the total net weight of fish together with ingredients against the labelled weight, they still fell short by 0.9% to 8.4%.
Consumers who can buy and prepare their own cooking ingredients, may consider choosing prepacked fish that is not bundled with cooking ingredients.
In the fresh meat group, among the 18 samples of pork, beef and lamb, 3 items were measured to be actually more than their claims by below 5%, while one item exactly the same as the weight on the label. The remainder 14 samples were all found with short weight.
Of the 12 vegetables and fruit samples sold by weight, all but one measured lighter than their labelled weight, mostly by less than 5%. The one exception was measured to be slightly higher than its labelled weight.
For the price-conscious, if your choice of fresh fruit and vegetables are sold by box or pack marked the same weight and the same price, the survey found that out of 10 such samples, 8 were found with net weight higher than labeled, by 2.3% to 25.7%.
The 2 notable samples were: a zucchini sample labelled with 1 lb (453.6 g) by net weight was actually 570g, or 25.7% more; a tomato sample also labelled with 1 lb by net weight was 507.7?g, or 11.9% heavier.
The survey also found wide variances in practice in the use of measuring units for prepacked fresh food - i.e. per 100 grams, per kilogram, per catty or per lb. Even within the same retail store, different types of food may use different units, for example, per catty for fish, and per lb or kilogram for pork or beef.
To facilitate price comparison by consumers, retailers are urged to consider displaying prices in different measuring units commonly in use, or standardizing their own units of measurement.
Retailers can take reference of the Unit Pricing Code in Australia requiring large grocery stores selling the minimum range of food-based grocery items to display unit price and the unit of measurement of a grocery item alongside its selling price (unless the item is exempt).
The Council has referred the results of the survey to the Customs and Excise Department, the enforcement agency for the Weights and Measures Ordinance, and the Centre for Food Safety responsible for the enforcement of the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations.
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- 2014.08.14