NIST Seeks Comments on Draft Handbook for Checking Net Contents of Packaged Goods

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is revising the handbook used to check the accuracy of net content labeling on packaged goods sold in the United States. NIST’s Office of Weights and Measures welcomes comments on the revised draft of the 4th Edition of NIST Handbook 133.

The handbook contains recommended inspection procedures for weights and measures officials to verify that consumer goods actually contain their labeled volume or weight. These inspection procedures assure that consumers do not pay for more product than they receive. Moreover, they prevent companies from taking unfair advantage over their competitors by shortfilling products in order to reap a greater profit.

Handbook 133 has been adopted by the National Conference on Weights and Measures, a voluntary standards organization that works closely with NIST to ensure uniform weights and measures in the United States. NIST published the first edition of the handbook in 1981, which was subsequently adopted by NCWM in 1985.

"One of our goals in preparing this new edition of the handbook was to develop a simpler, more concise and easier-to-read document to better serve officials and other users," says Gil Ugiansky, chief of the NIST Office of Weights and Measures. "We believe the new format will make it easier to learn and use."

The draft version of the new edition is available on the World Wide Web at www.nist.gov/owm. Comments on the draft should be sent to Tom Coleman, NIST Office of Weights and Measures, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2350, Gaithersburg, Md., 20899-2350; fax: (301) 926-0647; T.coleman [at] nist.gov (T[dot]coleman[at]nist[dot]gov).

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration, NIST promotes economic growth by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements and standards through four partnerships: the Measurement and Standards Laboratories, the Advanced Technology Program, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the Baldrige National Quality Program.