Introduction: The Legal Metrology rules play a crucial role in ensuring fair trade practices, especially in the food industry. This article delves into the specific guidelines issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs for determining the net quantity of commodities, focusing on edible oils and fats.
Detailed Analysis:
1. Background: The primary motive behind these regulations is to comply with Legal Metrology Rules. Ensuring accuracy in declaring the net quantity of packaged goods, particularly edible oils and fats, is essential for consumer protection and fair trade practices.
2. Purpose: The article outlines the standard procedures and guidelines mandated for the industry and authorized officers to determine the net quantity of edible oils and fats in packages. This includes the role of the Director, Controller, or Legal Metrology Officer in executing these procedures.
3. Scope: The scope of the document extends to various scenarios, including drawing samples from manufacturing plants, in-transit goods, cold storage facilities, or markets. It outlines when and how the determination of net quantity should be conducted, aligning with Legal Metrology Rules and guidelines.
4. Procedure – Equipment: Details the necessary equipment required, emphasizing the role of the Director or Legal Metrology Officer in ensuring proper functioning. It touches on the usage of standard weights and measures and the involvement of manufacturers, packers, or wholesale dealers in the process.
5. Instructions for Quantity Determination: Elaborates on the procedure for determining the quantity and error at manufacturer’s or packer’s premises. This includes scenarios with or without empty tare packages, outlining steps for determining tare weight, gross weight, and net weight.
6. Determination of Volumetric Packed Commodities: Addresses the specific case of edible oils and fats packed volumetrically, detailing the use of standard specific gravity conversion factors for different types. The article emphasizes the importance of accurate measurement and documentation.
7. Declaration of Unit Sale Price: Highlights the mandatory declaration of unit sale price in weight and the optional inclusion of volume. This aligns with the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.
Conclusion: In conclusion, adherence to Legal Metrology rules is critical in maintaining transparency and fairness in the packaging and sale of edible oils and fats. The outlined procedures, equipment requirements, and guidelines serve as a comprehensive framework for industry compliance, ensuring consumer trust and regulatory alignment.
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I-10/27/2021-W4M Dat. 29.12.2023
| Legal Metrology, Department of Consumer Affairs | Determination of the Net Quantity of Commodities (Edible Oils & Fats) contained in any Package | ||
| Issued on:
15.01.2023 |
Prepared by : | ||
| Rev. Date: | Reviewed by : | ||
| Rev. No.: 00 | Approved by : | Page-1 | |
1. Background
To comply with the Legal Metrology Rules.
2. Purpose:
The purpose is to lay down, the standard procedure, guidelines to be followed by the industry and by the Director, Controller or any Legal Metrology Officer authorized by or under the Act, to determine the net quantity of commodity (Edible Oils & Fats) contained in any package.
3. Scope:
This document & procedure is applicable whenever the Director, Controller or any Legal Metrology Officer authorized by or under the Act, draws any sample from any manufacturing plant /in transit/ CFA/market for determination of the net quantity of packed Commodity (edible oils & fats) or to confirm any other requirement specified under Legal Metrology Rules/guidelines /advisories .
PROCEDURE:
Determination of the Net Quantity of Commodities in Packages Part-I – Equipment
1. Equipments required- (1) The Director, Controller or any Legal Metrology Officer authorized by or under the Act, to determine the net quantity; of commodity contained in any package, shall be provided by the concerned Government with adequate equipments and facilities to carry out his work to the required degree of accuracy in an Expedient and efficient manner.
(2) The equipments, referred to in sub-paragraph (1), shall ordinarily consist of working standard weights and balances, or any other weight or measure declared by the Director to be suitable for determining the net quantity contained in the concerned package.
(3) The Director, Controller or any Legal Metrology Officer shall, before determining the net quantity contained in any package, ensure that the working standards and other equipments are functioning properly.
2. Working standards to be ordinarily used.-(1) Ordinarily, working standards and other weights and measures, duly verified shall be used for determining the net quantities contained in packages and the errors, if any, in relation to the net quantity declared on the package.
Provided that, where it is necessary to use the weights and measures, owned or controlled by the manufacturer, packer or wholesale dealer as the case may be such weights and measures, shall be used unless the maximum permissible error of such
|
Legal Metrology, |
Determination of the Net Quantity of Commodities (Edible Oils & Fats) in Packages | ||
| Issued on:
15.01.2023 |
Prepared by : | ||
| Rev. Date: | Reviewed by : | ||
| Rev. No.: 00 | Approved by : | ||
weights and measures is twenty per cent or less of the maximum error permitted n relation to the net quantity of the commodity contained in the packages.
(2) It shall be the duty of every manufacturer, packer or wholesale dealer to render such assistance the Director, Controller or any Legal Metrology Officer as the Director or other authorized person may require in order carrying out his duties expeditiously and efficiently.
(3) Where any weight, measure or other equipment, owned or controlled by the manufacturer, packer or wholesale dealer is used by the Director, Controller or any Legal Metrology Officer for the determination or the net quantity contained in any package, such weight, measure or other equipment shall not be released by the Director or other authorized person until his work is completed.
Part-II – Instructions with regard to the determination of quantity and error at manufacturer’s or packer’s premises.
3. (1) If empty tare packages are available, one such package shall be taken and tare package weight determined. If the tare package weight is equal to or less than three-tenths of the maximum permissible error for the concerned commodity of that quantity, it shall be assumed that the tare package weight so determined is valid for all the other packages in the sample, and the sample packages shall then be weighed for gross weight, and thereafter the net weight of commodity contained in each package shall be obtained by subtracting the tare package weight from the gross package weight. If the tare package weight so determined is more than three tenths of the maximum permissible error in relation to the commodity for that quantity, weight of four emptier tare packages shall be determined. If the difference between the maximum tare package weight and the minimum tare package weight of the five samples is equal to or less than four tenths of the maximum permissible error allowed for that commodity for that quantity, the tare weight of the package shall be taken as equal to the average of the five tare package weights. The gross weight of the package in the sample shall then be determined and the average tare package weight shall be subtracted from the gross package weight to obtain the net contents of the commodity in each package, in the sample. However, when the difference in the five individual tare weights of the packages exceeds the limit of four tenths of the maximum permissible error specified above, the procedure specified in sub-paragraph (4) or sub-paragraph (5), as the case may be, shall be adopted for determining the net quantity of individual packages.
(2) In the absence of empty tare packages, one package from the sample shall be opened and the net weight of the commodity and the tare weight of the package determined. If the tare weight of the package is equal to or less than three-tenth of the maximum permissible error for that concerned commodity of that quantity, it shall be assumed that the tare weight of one package so determined is valid for all the other packages in the sample, and the remaining packages shall then be weighed for gross
| Legal Metrology, Department of Consumer Affairs |
Determination of the Net Quantity of Commodities (Edible Oils & Fats) in Packages |
||
| Issued on:
15.01.2023 |
Prepared by : | ||
| Rev. Date: | Reviewed by : | ||
| Rev. No.: 00 | Approved by : | ||
weight, and thereafter the net weight of commodity contained in each package shall be obtained by subtracting the tare weight from the gross weight.
(3) If the tare weight of the package specified in sub-paragraph (2) is more than three-tenths of the maximum permissible error in relation to that commodity, four more packages in the samples shall be opened and the net weight of the commodity in each package as well as the tare weight of each package shall be determined. If the difference between the maximum tare weight and the minimum tare weight of five samples is equal to or less than four-tenths of the maximum permissible error for that commodity of that quantity, the tare weight of the package shall be taken as equal to the arithmetic mean of the five tare weights. The gross weight of the packages in the sample shall then be determined to the requisite accuracy and the average tare weight of the contained shall be subtracted from the gross weight to obtain the net contents of the commodity in each package in the sample.
(4) Where it is found on examining the first package, as described in sub-paragraph (2) that the tare weight of the container exceeds the limits specified in sub-paragraph (2) and sub-paragraph (3) and the determination of net contents, cannot be carried out without opening the remaining packages, or it is not, possible to use the procedure to use the procedure described in sub-paragraph (5) the size of the sample to be examined shall be restricted to that indicated in column (2) , in accordance with the lot indicated in column (1) of Table of the Fifth Schedule and the determination of net quantity shall be carried out by opening all the packages in the sample.
(5) Where it is likely that the process of determination of the actual net quantity may be destructive and it is possible to feed empty package into the packing process without affecting the results, the following procedure shall be used:
(a) the number of empty packages, depending upon the size of the lot, in accordance with columns (1) and (2) of Table of the Fifth Schedule shall be selected;
(b) the empty package shall be marked suitably to identify them from the other packages;
(c) the weight of each empty package, with its other parts which are to be fitted on it after it is filled shall be determined and the weight suitably recorded on the empty package and also on the Form specified in the Seventh Schedule;
(d) the empty package shall then be filled by introducing them in a random manner in the packing process, and such introduction shall be adequately spread over the duration in accordance with which ;the size of the lot is determined;
(e) the marked packages shall be taken out after completion of the filling and sealing operations and each such filled package shall be weighed again to the requisite accuracy;
(f) the net quantity shall be obtained by deducting the tare weight determined in accordance with clause (c) from the gross weight.
(6) The Director, Controller or any Legal Metrology Officer shall enter results of this examination of gross weight, net weight and tare weight in the Form specified in the
| Legal Metrology, Department of Consumer Affairs |
Determination of the Net Quantity of Commodities (Edible Oils & Fats) in Packages |
||
| Issued on:
15.01.2023 |
Prepared by : | ||
| Rev. Date: | Reviewed by : | ||
| Rev. No.: 00 | Approved by : | ||
Seventh Schedule along with such other observation as he may wish to make on the basis of his examination.
4. Determination of (Edible oils & Fats) Volumetric packed commodities Net Contents by declared weight on Pack. -(1) In case of edible oils & fats being packed in volumetric packs, the net quantity shall be estimated by their equivalent weight only. The standard specific gravity conversion factors to be adopted for (a) soft oils shall be 910 g for 1Litre at 30 deg C, (b) other than soft oils like palm-based oils & fats, vanaspati etc. shall be 893 g for 1 Litre at 50 deg (c) ghee shall be – 900g at 45 deg C. The procedure adopted for measuring weight of edibles oils & fats shall be applied here as well.
(2) The reading of the actual net declared weight the Edible oils & Fat’s commodity in every package shall be noted carefully and recorded in the Form specified in the Seventh Schedule.
5. Declaration of unit sale price: The unit sale price required under rule 6 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 shall mandatorily be declared in weight. However, it may be declared additionally in volume also.
THE SEVENTH SCHEDULE
Form A
Weight Checking — Data Sheet
| Legal Metrology, Department of Consumer Affairs |
Determination of the Net Quantity of Commodities (Edible Oils & Fats) in Packages | ||
| Issued on:
15.01.2023 |
Prepared by : | ||
| Rev. Date: | Reviewed by : | ||
| Rev. No.: 00 | Approved by : | ||
Note: If the data sheet runs into more pages than one, the each continuation sheet shall bear the signatures specified in Part F.
ASHUTOSH AGARWAL
Deputy Director & I/C Director (Legal Metrology)
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Department of Consumer Affairs
Govt. of India Krishi Bhawan, New Deihi-1′ 0001
