On any given day, Americans make dozens of purchases —at the grocery store and gas pump, by paying a taxi fare, or feeding a parking meter. As diverse as these daily necessities may be, they all have one ingredient in common: consumers can trust that what they pay for is what they’re getting due to a national, state and local weights and measures system.
To recognize this system, the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) and the County of San Diego announces March 1-7, 2008 as Weights and Measures Week.
“Weights and measures officials throughout the nation observe Weights and Measures Week annually to commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the first weights and measures law in the United States on March 2, 1799, “ said Robert G. Atkins, Sealer of Weights and Measures, of San Diego County.
In some states over 50% of an average family’s income is spent on items sold by weight, measure, or count.
“Weights and Measures Week is to acquaint the public with the nature of this important service, which protects consumers and business interests by ensuring accurate quantity determinations,” said Mr. Atkins.
“This Week recognizes the important service to the community performed by over 2,400 state, county and local weights and measures officials throughout the country,” he said.
This program is possible because of a set of weights and measures standards to which industry adheres and consumers can count on. What would consumers do if this system did not exist? Bring their own measuring devices to make certain that they got their fair share for each purchase?
“It is not something each of us considers, but applying uniform weights and measures standards to commercial transactions is one of the most important supports to a strong national economy,” said Mr. Atkins.
NCWM creates the standards and process; state and local weights and measures officials check that the standards are met by measuring the accuracy of commercial weighing and measuring devices. This protects both consumer and industry in marketplace transactions. Weights and measures officials also help ensure that products and services sold by weight or measure comply with federal, state and local laws.
Consumers and business operators are encouraged to learn more by visiting the department’s website at www.sdcawm.org. For complaints or information, contact the department’s Standards Enforcement Division at 1-888-TRUE-SCAN.
