Information for Butchers

Weights and measures requirements

Weights and measures law applies to meat (i.e. any part of cattle, sheep or swine) and poultry of any sort, whether it is fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, cooked, or processed, and to items which, although they contain other food, consist substantially of meat or poultry. In general, meat and poultry must be sold by weight, i.e. by the kilogram (kg) and/or gram (g).

• Pre-packed items must be marked with a statement of net weight in metric units.

This requirement does not apply to bath chaps, meat or poultry puddings, pies and flans, sausage rolls (where the pack is marked with the number or this is obvious without opening the pack), or products weighing under 5g.

• Non-pre-packed items can be sold either by net weight or gross weight.

�	This requirement does not apply to bath chaps, meat or poultry pies,puddings, flans and sausage rolls, cooked poultry, single cooked sausages in natural casings, or single sausage meat products weighing less than 500g.

'Net weight' means the weight of the goods alone, without the wrapper or container. 'Gross weight' means the weight of the goods, plus the weight of any wrapper or container.

Gross weight	Permitted weight of container
Not exceeding 500g Exceeding 500g	5g a weight at the rate of 10g per kg of the gross weight

The scales used must be accurate and approved for trade use – please see 'Weighing equipment in use for trade'.

The customer must be informed of the weight before paying for and receiving the goods.

This can be done either by:

• weighing the goods in front of the customer, so that he/she has a clear, unobstructed view of the weighing and the weight indication on the scales.
  
• marking the weight on the wrapper (if pre-packed) or on a separate ticket(if not pre-packed). or
  
• making a verbal statement of the weight.

If the customer does not take the goods 'there and then', you must give a written statement of the weight of the goods, either before or at the time of delivery. In the case of trimmed/boned meat and dressed poultry, experience has shown that customers often do not understand that the purchase price may be based on the unprepared weight of the goods and, mistakenly, think they have been given 'short weight', so you should be careful to explain this at the time of purchase.

If the customer asks for the goods to be prepared before they are weighed, it is the prepared weight that must be made known.

N.B. These notes cover sales carried out under the minimum weight system. If you produce packs to a predetermined constant quantity (e.g. 250g bacon or 500g sausages), it is possible to pack to the average weight system. Please see separate guidance pages on the 'Guidance notes on average quantity' or you may also wish to seek specific advice from your local Trading Standards Service.

Price marking requirements – meat and poultry

In general, all foods, whether pre-packed or non-pre-packed, must be priced.

The price indication must be in writing, unambiguous, easily identifiable and clearly legible and in proximity to the items. Customers must be able to see the price indication without asking for assistance.

Pre-packed items must be marked with the selling price. In addition, the unit price must be indicated either on or near the goods, or on a price list. (The unit price must be calculated by reference to the selling price and the weight.)

For non-pre-packed items, the unit price must be indicated either on or near the goods, or on a price list.

However, there are exceptions. The main ones are as follows:

For non-pre-packed meat and poultry, and meat and poultry pre-packed in variable quantities, there is no requirement to indicate the unit price for goods that are

* not required to be sold by weight, e.g. non-pre-packed pheasants, rabbits, cooked poultry, etc
* an assortment of different items sold as a single pack, e.g. “steak and kidney pack”, “barbecue packs”, etc
* any product where the unit price is identical to the selling price
* meat sold at reduced prices on account of the danger of its deterioration.
*portions of meat cut at the request of a purchaser and in his/her presence.

For meat pre-packed in pre-established quantities and displayed for sale, there is no requirement to indicate the unit price for:
* any such products if the shop sales and display area is less than 280m
* meat sold at a reduced price on account of the danger of its deterioration.

The unit price must be in metric, generally the price per kg. You may, in addition, show the unit price per lb, but the metric marking should be first and more prominent. Sales must be made with reference to the metric quantity.

Products whose unit price must be indicated per 100g are:-

1. cooked/ready to eat meat (including game and poultry).
   
2. pies, pasties, sausage rolls, puddings and flans which are being sold by net quantity (e.g. pie slices from a deli counter).

Price promotions:- If you wish to run special offers on selected products, additional rules apply to ensure that promotions do not mislead consumers.

Please note: This guidance is not an authoritative interpretation of the law and is intended only for guidance. For further information, please contact your local Trading Standards Service.

Last reviewed/updated: September 2007
Copyright 2008 itsa Ltd on behalf of the Trading Standards Institute