16 CRAFTBUTCHER l JUNE 2017


WEIGHTS AND MEASURES REQUIREMENTS


Trading Standard departments and the government's drive to reduce red tape burdens on businesses, especially in areas where compliance is already high and there is no serious adverse effect on the public, has also had an impact.


RICHARD STEVENSON, TECHNICAL MANAGER Delivering advice to Members


LAST month’s advice on selling by net weight and the allowances for packaging led to a number of other questions on weights and measure issues. Te legal requirements


for weights and measures for butchers have changed very little in the last 30 years or so and are also reasonably straight forward. Te big change in recent


times has probably been in how the regulations are enforced. Whereas the older generation of butchers will remember regular inspections and spot checks on scales and tickets etc by Trading Standards Officers this now rarely happens. Council cut backs over the last few years have fallen heavily on


SALE OF MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS BY WEIGHT For butchers the weights and measures legislation applies to the sale of fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, cooked or processed meat of cattle, sheep or swine, and to uncooked poultry. It also applies to food that consists substantially of such meat or poultry. In general, meat and


poultry MUST be sold by the kilogram. Non-prepacked items,


including products cut or selected from a larger bulk item as requested by the customer, must be sold either by net weight or by gross weight if the weight of the bag, wrapper or container is not greater than 5g or if gross weight is above 500g at a rate of 10g per Kg. Te requirement for sale


by weight does not apply to pies, puddings, flans, sausage rolls, etc or to single cooked sausages or sausage meat products weighing less than 500g. Prepacked items must be


Dibal CB_Layout 1 20/10/2014 12:30 Page 1 marked with the net weight of


MEMBERS ADVICE


the product in metric units. No weight indications are required on packs of pies, puddings, flans, sausage rolls, etc where the pack is marked with the number of items or if the number of items can be seen without opening the pack.


WEIGHING & MEASURING EQUIPMENT Equipment that is used to weigh goods for consumers must be suitable for the quantity being determined and accurate within specific tolerances. Equipment used for


consumer sales is required to be 'government stamped', as it's known. Tis refers to markings that show the equipment has been made to a particular standard and meets accuracy requirements. Most legal requirements on


weighing equipment apply to the suppliers of the equipment so make sure you only deal with bona fide companies and be particularly careful when buying second hand equipment. Government stamps


generally take the form of either: • a lead plug embedded into the equipment on which is stamped a numbered crown and year


... or • a series of stickers attached to the equipment


Measuring equipment that has tested as inaccurate


or no longer conforms with other requirements will have a six-pointed star stamped on or attached to it. Look out for this if you're buying second- hand equipment.


WEIGHING Te customer must be informed of the weight before paying for and receiving the goods. Tis can be done by any of the following methods: • weighing the goods in front of the customer, so that he/ she has a clear view of the weight indication on the scales


• telling the customer what the weight of the product is if the scales are out of sight


• marking the weight on the bag, wrapper or container


• marking the weight on a separate ticket or till receipt


In the case of customer


requests for trimmed or boned meat and for dressed poultry the customer should be advised whether the weight to be charged for will be before or aſter the product is prepared for them. Don’t forget to tare any


wrapping, bags or containers that qualify under the allowed exemptions of 5g or 10g per Kg.


PRICE MARKING REQUIREMENTS In general, all foods must have their price displayed and include VAT where applicable. Te price must be displayed on or near the product, be


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