The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) as the National Measurement Institute (NMI) on May 19, 2023, launched its newest service, the verification of net contents of pre-packaged products sold by Volume, Count, Frozen, Aerosol, length, product in Brine & Mass.
Net Content is defined as the amount of product contained in a package, as declared on labels in the form of mass, volume, or other units of measurement. It is one of the most important pieces of information on the label which tells consumers how much of the product they are going to get. Verification of those numbers will ensure consumer protection as it will also help them to make an educated decision about the value of products.
The new measurement service will be rolled out immediately by the Bureau’s Legal Metrology Services Department starting with the verification of net contents of pre-packaged products sold by Mass. This will be done at the manufacturers’ premises to facilitate corrective actions where necessary in the form of repackaging or relabeling of the product’s correct net weight.
The first visit to the manufacturers’ premises will be free while subsequent visits to ensure appropriate corrections are made will be at a cost per hour plus the cost of transportation for destinations out of Georgetown.
To build capacity for the roll out of the new service, Legal Metrology Inspectors were recently trained by an overseas expert to conduct net content checks. In addition, the GNBS has acquired the necessary equipment and a fully fitted mobile unit (vehicle).
The verification service aims to ensure consumers receive value for money and equity in trade. Through the service, our local manufacturers will be further supported as they trade their products in a highly competitive business environment. Additionally, from a legal standpoint, products produced locally will increasingly become compliant with the Weights and Measures Act and Regulations which are under development.
According to the 1981 Weights and Measures Act, pre-packaged products offered for sale must be marked with their net weight or capacity measurements (Section 18). The Act further states that only metric units of measurements should be used in trade (Section 19), while providing “short weight, measure or number” to consumers, is an offence (Section 34).
Further, it is the responsibility of manufacturers or retailers who pre-package products for retail purposes to ensure that:
- The pre-packaging is done by trained employees (Metric System + Use of measuring instrument),
- Approved measuring instruments are used (Electronic Scales),
- Measuring instruments must be verified by the GNBS according to Section 23 of the Weights & Measures Act.
- The pre-packaging of products must be done in metric quantities i.e., 250g, 500g, 1kg & 2kg since the metric system is the only legal system of measurement in Guyana.
Finally, the Verification of Net Content Service comes as an addition to the measurement services the Bureau already provides to stakeholders including the verification of measuring instruments used in trade and instruments used within the health, transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors of Guyana.
For further information, kindly contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0065, 219-0066 or 219-0069.
