Are food manufacturers legally required to list weight on packaging?

jamesbrownontheroad

Hello. I've just bought a price-marked (so obviously not from a multipack) Cadbury's Wispa bar from a convenience store in Glasgow. While opening it, I've realised I can't find a gram weight listed anywhere on the wrapper.

Is it not a legal requirement for food products to be sold with their weight indicated on the packaging.

I'm especially intrigued because after years of health campaigners saying chocolate bars are too big, they now seem to be being downsized as they try to counteract the increased cost of ingredients!

Thanks

geordie_joe

jamesbrownontheroad wrote: »

Is it not a legal requirement for food products to be sold with their weight indicated on the packaging.

I don't think there is a legal requirement for the weight to be on the package.

The Food Labelling Regulations 1996

This requires food to be marked or labelled with certain requirements such as:

• the name of the food
• a list of ingredients (including food allergens)
• the amount of an ingredient which is named or associated with the food
• an appropriate durability indication (e.g. 'best before' or 'use by')
• any special storage conditions or instructions for use
• the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or retailer
• the place of origin (where failure to do so might mislead)

No mention of weight.

Rolandtheroadie

I'm not sure reducing sizes is a new thing. The only difference now is prices have shot up as well.

jamesbrownontheroad

45p for a Wispa still keeps me happy

Teahfc

There should be a weight guide with the fat/sugar/etc chart will give either a per 100gms guide or a per bar guide.

All products are now being met with a challenge to meet a price point and if that means selling something at 50p and you only get 45gms then so be it.

Would you buy a bar if it was 73gms and costing 65p for example ?

Studies with all these Tesco/Sainsbury clubcard nectar points are more like big brother they know what you buy and at what price and if it stops sales at a certain price then they lower the weight and keep same retail price !

Easy loads of free research for giving away a few million clubcard points that would cost the supermarkets millions more in research and that is if they could get people to stop and answer truthfully !

Sign up at your peril they know what you want by what you buy !

stephen77

does the bar weigh under 25grams?

I think that is the law. If the product is less than 25grams it does not have to state its weight.

Other products do not have to state weight, eg sandwiches.

stephen77

to add to wispa.
Wispa by nature is very light as full of air. So the bar weight may also be governed by the max lenght it can get into fixtures.
No point having a wispa weight 100grams if most shops have not got the space to stock it.

jenniewb

stephen77 wrote: »

does the bar weigh under 25grams?

I think that is the law. If the product is less than 25grams it does not have to state its weight.

Other products do not have to state weight, eg sandwiches.

I thought similar- but I thought it was 50g rather then 25g and if its over 100g it has to list the nutritional information.

But I could be wrong or have old information.

stephen77

I am pretty sure its not 50g.
as you often buy packs of crisps with a weight on while skips often do not as under 25g.
I do have course notes some where in the house which had the rules from about 18 months ago but not to hand.

Its not a legal requirement to put nutritional information on a product unless its making a claim about its health benefits etc.
many products do not, especially if your going to the more obsecure super market with your less well known brands

jenniewb

stephen77 wrote: »

I am pretty sure its not 50g.
as you often buy packs of crisps with a weight on while skips often do not as under 25g.
I do have course notes some where in the house which had the rules from about 18 months ago but not to hand.

Its not a legal requirement to put nutritional information on a product unless its making a claim about its health benefits etc.
many products do not, especially if your going to the more obsecure super market with your less well known brands

I know- its so annoying! I would love to try some of the more exotic types of foods I see from overseas but being a calorie fanatic (eating disorder hang over) its just not possible. And then theres all the stuff that goes into things which give me randomly un-socially acceptable reactions (trust me, not at all OK in crowded London!) and so I end up not being able to buy much at all.

Wish they would have more rules about this, wish more products did have to state everything.

Nikkster

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12346546

Cadbury is cutting the size of its Dairy Milk bar and is blaming "economic reasons" for the decision to downsize.
The firm says it's having to slash the size of its products because if it didn't, prices would have to rise.

It means that a 140g bar of Dairy Milk, which costs 99p, is reduced to 120g and has two fewer squares.