Average weight applications

As the average weight system is based on a samples from the BATCH for calculating the mean of the weighing results to comply with the three packers rules.

As an established weighing company the law is the same throughout the UK  and it is regulated by your Local Authority  "Inspector of Weights and Measures", and contact them if in any doubt any compliance issues for your process.

The above is for general guidance on selecting products from our website, however as these scales are "Custom Products" and calibrated for place of use, you may loose some operational features due to the way the current regulations operate.

Where scales are used that affects the weight or price of what you’re selling then you require a scale trade approved  it is likely required by UK law.

All approved Scales /  Balances supplied and checked prior to despatch to ensure compliance with current UK regulations with certified weights.

Prepackaged products sold in any UK need to be EC and UK compliant in order to supply to 2006 Average Weight Regulations  (kitchen scales are not suitable) and must provide information on the package specifying the nominal quantity (weight or volume) of their contents. Examples of prepackaged products include:

• food
• drinks (ml)
• cosmetics
• cleaning products

The ℮-mark, placed next to the nominal quantity shows that your products meet the requirements and to comply with 2006 Weights and Measures Act.

You can add it to prepackaged products that you sell individually at a constant volume (for liquid products) or weight (for other products) which has been chosen in advance. ℮-mark can be placed on products whose weight or volume falls between the following values:

• minimum 5 grams or 5 millilitres
• maximum  25 kilograms or 25 litres

What are the requirements?

To ensure that the quantity displayed is correct, ℮-marked packages must fulfil the following requirements:

• The average quantity of product in packages coming from the same batch must be equal to or greater than the quantity mentioned on the package.
• A  limited proportion of the prepackaged products from the same batch may have a smaller amount of product than indicated on the package. This is referred to as "tolerable negative error" and the values are dependant on the nominal value and is a combination of weight and % calculations to determine the T1 / T2 values.
  

Quality checks and inspections

As a packer, you must ensure that the packages you fill meet the requirements. For this, you need to:

• use officially UK Verified measuring equipment and procedures for packaging the products
• keep records (electronic records preferred) of checks you perform to ensure that the measuring is done correctly

As a Packer, importer or  Exporter  you need to provide proof that the prepackaged products you import meet the requirements. This proof can be the recorded checks mentioned above.

Local authorities perform inspections to check if your ℮-marked products meet the requirements. They can do that at the packing facility or elsewhere in the distribution chain using certified weighing equipment as detailed in the 2006 / 2016 weights and measures act, by establishing a plan to take samples from the batch to ensure compliance .

Over last few years NEW packers may have used minimum weight as they produced less than 100 items however if producing larger quantities you may have to re-visit your compiance requirements as  the tables used to calculate the T1, are a combination of fixed weight and % so checking the tables to establish T1. i.e a 500g T1 is fixed at 15g but a 440g product is 3.% which is 13.2g, which can catch you out.

The sampling and recording methods you are using must be sufficiently accurate for your process to calculate the statistical mean value  taking account of the standard deviation in the formula to work out the statistical  mean, and dependant on the BATCH size produced that day. Records must should  include date and time of samples taken with the Gross, Tare and Net contects recorded, also the calculations used for density if appropriate and must be rigerous enough for inspection by weights and measures, modern  scales can have seperate or integral printers that minimises operator error - All records must be retained for a minumum of 12 months or the shelf life of the product together with the batch from which it was produced.

Choosing scales suitable for this application - This is the fun part due to 2006 /  2016 W& M regulations and need for using trade approved equipment the regulations refer to calculations based on analogue T1 values, so if a 100g bakery pack  T1 value is 4,5g the minimum accuracy of the scale is 0.9g but modern scales only work in decimals 1.2.5.10 etc. The problem then depends on whether the local inspector of weights and measures will accept an industrial machine of i.e 0.5g or 1g divisions, or he may ask you  to use 0.1g  which are Laboratory scales due to density  calculations - Your local Trading Standards apply the law and discuss your process

The values of TNE being calculated via the average weight   comprising  percentages and specific weight values based on the nominal quantity , or you could buy scales with this feature built in and record the data onto a USB stick and do the calculations on a printer or spreadsheet, however we do reccomend you agree this with your local Inspector of Weights and Measures.

The  three rules with which packers must comply:
- The NET contents of the packages should not be less, on average, than the nominal quantity
- The Number of packages which are short of the stated quantity by a defined amount -TNE 1 should be less than a specified quantity in the batch size.
- The Number of  packages in TNE 2 should NOT be short by more than twice the TNE1 value which is abreach of the Packers guide and corrections to your process is required

The first  rule is fairly straightforward as its a measured value (weight) and calculated using the standard deviation of the samples.

The second ensures the number of PACKAGES (T1) are within prescribed limits

The third means the NUMBER of PACKAGES (T2) are outwith the "PACKERS" guide and the BATCH has FAILED, recall of the batch is required  and recorded as such on your records.

When checking prices please take into account if the scales have been calibrated in UK, and we carry out our due dilligence on all scales prior to despatch.