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Perhaps the FMI can be assuaged with a plan led by
Procter & Gamble and others who favor metrication to standardize on a basic
set of sizes to minimize cost conversions and even reduce maintenance costs for
grocers.
They also raise the point that some collateral
federal legislation and regulations may need to be altered (such as those
governing the WIC program, for example) to allow for metric-only goods to be
approved for use.
I hope the USMA and other supporters of the
amendment to the FPLA have looked into this.
Ezra
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 1:02
PM
Subject: [USMA:34146] Re: FPLA Amendment
Not To Be Introduced In Foreseeable Future
I like to keep in mind that marketers are people who
make a living by emphasizing (often) marginal selling points and minimizing or
omitting data inconsistent with their selling point. How often, for example,
have we seen a minor formulation change marketed as new and improved
when performance gains are barely statistically significant?
This being
said, their blanket claim that consumers dont understand metric sounds like a
claim that the data would not support. Short of giving every consumer in
America a test to assess their metric skills, well just have to make some
assumptions, along with other data:
- The
metric system has been taught - at a very basic level - in the public school
system since the 1970s.
- Dieters counting fat grams or carbohydrate grams or
calories can be assumed to have some understanding of the metric system.
- Anyone who has ever watched the Olympic games or
participated in many sports can be assumed to have at least some
understanding of the metric system.
- Immigrants can be assumed to have some understanding
of the metric system.
- Workers in the healthcare, biotechnology,
pharmaceutical, electrical, electronics, automotive, and petrochemical
industries can be assumed to have some understanding of the metric
system.
Unless we
are willing to discount a large percentage of the US population and not count
them as consumers, it is not a valid argument that so claim that consumers do
not understand the metric system.
--
Scott Hudnall
From: Michael Payne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 16:14:51
+0000
To: "U.S. Metric Association"
<[email protected]>
Subject: [USMA:34140] Re: FPLA Amendment
Not To Be Introduced In Foreseeable Future
The
majority of consumers don't understand non metric measurement either,
and
who are the FMI to decided if consumers want metric, they are not
representing consumers, they represent food marketers and a little
confusion
is helpful.
Michael Payne
----- Original Message
-----
From: "Stephen Gallagher"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> It sounds more like they're
scared of further
> metrication, plain and simple. Note the
points that
> they make:
>
> ? The majority of consumers do
not understand metric
> measurements. Moreover, consumers are not
demanding
> that their food products be packaged and labeled
using
> the metric
system.
>
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