Kurt E. Floren, Director of Weights and Measures for the County of Los Angeles, announced the theme for Weights and Measures Week, March 1 through 7, as “Weights and Measures: Making a Difference.” “Weights and measures officials throughout the country work together to ensure confidence in the marketplace,” said Mr. Floren. “This collaborative effort results in consumers getting what they pay for and businesses being assured of the ability to fairly compete with one another,” he continued. “Now, more than ever, we need to make sure consumers are getting every penny’s worth for their money.”
From paint to pastries, from crude oil to croutons, every trade is based upon a count, measurement, weight or volume. Weights and Measures personnel inspect and verify the accuracy of commercial scales, meters, price scanners, and quantity labeling on packaged goods.
Considering that as much as 50% of a family’s income is used to purchase consumer goods, the impact on an inaccurate marketplace can be significant to each of us. The cost of a regulatory presence is less than $1.00 per person per year. Yet consumers can realize the full return on that investment in a single trip to the market.
National Weights and Measures Week is being observed by state and local jurisdictions throughout the United States. The 2009 National Weights and Measures Week marks the 210th anniversary of the nation’s first weights and measures law, passed by the Congress of the United States on March 2, 1799.