Weights and measures: the law
Equipment and records
Equipment for packaged goods
The equipment you use to weigh or measure your packaged goods has to be suitable. There are no hard and fast rules about what equipment you should use but you cannot use domestic scales to weigh goods you intend to sell.
Your local Trading Standards office will tell you what is suitable equipment for your business sector.
Trading Standards will check the weights and measures of your goods on your production line to make sure the equipment is accurate.
Records
You must keep records if you pack your products using the average system. You must record the results of your sample batches and show that they meet the ‘three packers’ rules.
You do not have to keep records if you measure every package or you use the minimum system to pack your products.
You must keep your records for at least one year from either the date you ship the packages or the ‘use by’ date on the package - whichever is shorter.
Your local Trading Standards office can advise you about how to keep records.