2002-02-18 I really like the use of the term "price transparency". It will totally harmonise Britain with the Eurozone when Britain finally adopts the Euro. Somehow I feel that transparency would be lost if the rest of the Eurozone is pricing in Euros per kilogram and Britain was still pricing in Euros per pound.
John ----- Original Message ----- From: "James R. Frysinger" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, 2002-02-18 16:35 Subject: [USMA:18266] UKMA Press Release (text version) > Below is the text of the UKMA Press Release, published this morning. I > converted it to text format and will embed it in the body of this > message. > > My next message will forward the original Word (.doc) file plus an RTF > file of the document. Forewarned is forearmed, if you can control which > messages to download. > > Jim > > [text] > For Immediate Release > Metric Appeal Court Ruling highlights need for effective Consumer > Information > > LONDON, February 18th 2002. Following the ruling of the Appeal Court > against the self-styled "Metric Martyrs" the UK Metric Association > (UKMA) says it is time that the Government stands up to its > responsibilities to the British public. Successive Governments have > introduced the metric system in the worst possible way. Now is an > opportunity to put that right through both a programme of public > education and through more effective regulation. > > Since January 1st, 2000 the regulations have required that loose goods > such as unpackaged meat, fruit and vegetables be labelled and weighed in > metric units. Since then five traders, calling themselves "Metric > Martyrs", have refused to follow the new legislation and have been > prosecuted for not using metric scales. The five traders have > unsuccessfully appealed against their prosecution although it is > possible that they will take their case to the House of Lords. > > The UKMA cautiously welcomes the ruling. Chris Keenan, director of the > UKMA says, "This case has highlighted the concerns of the UKMA about the > consumer's right to price transparency when buying loose goods and > confirms the need for a government lead on the use of metric units. > However, we take no pleasure at seeing these market traders prosecuted. > Had a well-planned and implemented quick transition happened, as in > Commonwealth countries such as Australia, this case might never have > happened. Now is the time for the Government to stand up to its > responsibilities and to educate the public on using the metric system in > everyday life. Furthermore current regulations need to be significantly > cleaned up to be more consumer-friendly". > > Any change whether changing currency or changing units of measurement > can be problematic for the public. This is the case even if the system > to which the public is changing is easier. Today nobody would want to go > back to pounds, shillings and pence; yet before the transition in 1971, > there was a lot of public fear and antipathy about decimalisation. The > reason for the fear is usually that people have rules of thumb or an > intuitive understanding that is lost with a transition. With the UK's > D-day transition to decimal currency the government of the day achieved > a smooth transition through a 2-year public information program using > booklets, leaflets and radio & TV broadcasts. A very similar success was > achieved with introducing the Euro in January. > > In Australia, a successful transition to the metric system was achieved > within a short space of time. This was due to a combination of 3 > factors: > a)Careful planning with all stakeholders involved > b)A relatively short timescale with a clear M-day for changeover and > c)An effective public education program. > > In Britain, in contrast, metrication has taken place at a snail's pace > with virtually no public education. Using kilograms and grams is > fundamentally easier than using stones, pounds and ounces; after all who > knows their 14- or 16-times multiplication tables? Yet many British > consumers lack an intuitive feel for metric weights although they > probably have been used to buying fruit juices and wine in litres for > over a decade. > > Despite the fact that changes in the labelling and weighing of loose > goods affect every household in the UK, public information and education > has been invisible. Freelance home economist & food writer Roz Denny > says "Every family needs to plan and to budget their food; yet no advice > has been given even on simple issues such as shopping for loose produce > in kilos, how much meat in metric per head, how to calculate roasting in > minutes per kilo etc. Similarly, recipes and cooking advice should > reflect that packaged food is sold in units of 250g/500g/1kg or 500ml/1 > litre. Crazily, milk is still sold as 568ml and 1.13litres although > fruit juice and mineral water are in 1litre sizes and have been for many > years. Dual measure scales and jugs and ovens in degrees Celsius have > been sold in the UK for over 25 years. The British public already has > the infrastructure to complete the change - it just needs a little > helpful reassurance". > > Even worse, the implementation of metric regulations in the UK has > apparently followed the lowest standard required to fulfil EU directives > rather than being what is best for the British consumer. Regulations on > advertising and price labelling are ill-defined, leading some > supermarkets to advertise price per pound while others follow the spirit > of the regulations and advertise price per kilo. The result is public > confusion and the real possibility of the public being ripped-off. > > The UKMA calls on the Government to redress the problems through an > effective metric program aimed at benefiting the consumer. Specifically: > > A holistic public education program on using the metric system generally > and in particular on using kilos. This should include showing how to > budget food using kilos rather than pounds and include basic recipes. > Additionally, the public should be educated on the metric weights of > everyday objects and their body weight. In short the public should be > shown how to use the kilogram in everyday life. > The regulations on labelling and advertising goods should be more > specific with the aim of offering better price transparency to the > consumer. Rules for showing prices of metric quantities in shop labels > and advertisements must be unambiguous. Misleading practices such as > advertising or labelling prices "per 454g" should be stamped out. > The Government should work with the media to ensure that consumer news > reporting, cookery programmes, articles on diet and slimming, etc. > support the public transition to the metric system. > > Contact information: > UKMA Press spokesperson: Roz Denny (020) 7610-0767 or 07770-391-581 > > NOTE TO EDITORS: The UKMA is an open, non-political, non-sectarian > organisation which supports the use of the international metric system > (SI) for all official, trade, health, safety, educational, > transportation, media, legal and contractual purposes in the United > Kingdom. It believes that the universal adoption of the metric system is > in the best interests of the British Public. The UKMA is a single-issue > organisation. > [end text] > > -- > James R. Frysinger University/College of Charleston > 10 Captiva Row Dept. of Physics and Astronomy > Charleston, SC 29407 66 George Street > 843.225.0805 Charleston, SC 29424 > http://www.cofc.edu/~frysingj [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cert. Adv. Metrication Specialist 843.953.7644 >
