This article in Wikipedia gives the background and the attendant crazy flavor of what's behind the Imperial vs US Customary madness:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_ounce I agree with John .... maybe holding the feet to the fire of those members of the FMI who are opposed to amending the FPLA might jar them enough to want to liberate themselves from the US Customary quagmire with the option of metric-only labeling! -- Ezra ----- Original Message ----- From: "John M. Steele" <[email protected]> To: "ezra steinberg" <[email protected]>, "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 10:58:21 AM Subject: Re: [USMA:48413] Re: Trip to Canada The US fluid ounce is larger than the Imperial, but the quart is smaller. While not allowed (alone) by FPLA, the 40 oz delaration is true in Canada in the "I gave you more than" sense. Had they said 1 QT 8 OZ, that would have been untrue (and unlawful) in Canada. Has NAFTA somehow exempted the US FPLA requirement for largest units? I can't find anything in the FDA rules that says it. I agree with you completely on permissive metric only. However, with FMI opposition and lackadaisical support from food processors, I'm not optimistic, and one strategy is to hold the manufacturers to every letter of the rules regarding Customary. If they love Customary so much and think the present rules are so good, they should obey them scrupulously. (If Customary is enough of a PITA, they'll change their position.) From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, August 21, 2010 1:08:52 PM Subject: [USMA:48413] Re: Trip to Canada Here's where things get a little ugly, of course, because the FPLA requires US fluid ounces, which are not the ounce used in Canada. All the more reason for us to get the FPLA amended. I have this obsessive conviction (no secret there ;-) that rational metric sizes will abound once that happens, which will have at least a partial positive impact on the Canadian sense of "living metric". -- Ezra ----- Original Message ----- From: "John M. Steele" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Cc: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 4:23:42 AM Subject: [USMA:48409] Re: Trip to Canada I have a 1.18 L bottle of shampoo, which would look a little funny without its companion "40 oz." I believe it is not strictly FPLA-compliant as I believe 1QT 8OZ is mandatory, but 40 OZ may be specified in addition. What is odder is that it came in a bundle that included a smaller bottle, which is an even metric size, 200 mL (6.8 FL OZ). A more useful small size would be a 100 mL bottle that I could take on an airplane. From: John Frewen-Lord <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Cc: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, August 21, 2010 2:20:48 AM Subject: [USMA:48407] Re: Trip to Canada I've often wondered why McDonalds doesn't rename its 'Quarter Pounder' to something on the lines of 'Big One Hundred' or something similar (" ...a full 100 grams of fresh beef...."). Most customers would not notice the approx. 12% reduction in meat content, and McDonalds would save that amount in meat costs while likely getting away with charging the same price. Blame not only the FPLA for non-rational sizing of products in Canada, but also NAFTA, where the US managed to outlaw Canada's original laws regarding product sizing. In regards to BC, it is probably the least 'progressive' in terms of achieving full metric conversion. Surprisingly, I've found Alberta - cowboy country - to be more metric than anywhere else, while in Ontario and Nova Scotia - two provinces I have spent much time in this year - you will have to look very hard indeed to see any official signs on the roads with miles on them (and ft-in on bridge signs - though more of these in NS than Ont), while in the stores, anything pre-packaged (including say cold meats) is invariably (and as required by law) to be labelled in metric units. Admittedly (and as I've mentioned before and as Harry Wyeth pointed out) some of those sizes are oddball indeed, and I couldn't relate them to ANY rational size, metric, imperial or USC (shampoo in 1.08 L ?). John F-L ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: U.S. Metric Association Cc: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 4:31 AM Subject: [USMA:48406] Re: Trip to Canada Unless they're educated to display price per 100 grams! ;-) -- Ezra ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carleton MacDonald" < [email protected] > To: "U.S. Metric Association" < [email protected] > Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 7:34:57 PM Subject: [USMA:48405] Re: Trip to Canada One big reason they want to show prices in pounds is because the price per unit is lower. Marketeering, after all. cm From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 17:14 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:48404] Re: Trip to Canada This is precisely where I think amending the FPLA to permit metric-only labeling will have a disproportionately larger impact in Canada than it will in the country (USA) that actually amends the law. Once the "bandwagon" effect takes hold among US manufacturers to switch to rational metric sizes with metric-only units, Canadians will likely see a wholesale change-over to metric only units and rational sizes in packaged goods. That has got to provide (in my view at least) a strong positive impulse towards greater acceptance and use of metric units on their side of the border. Wishful thinking or prescience? We'll find out soon enough (if the <bleep>ing FPLA ever gets amended and signed into law)! -- Ezra ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harry Wyeth" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 1:23:16 AM Subject: [USMA:48402] Trip to Canada Many readers already know this, but here is what I found after a week in the Vancouver area: road signs in km, but at least a few still in miles, same with bridge height signs; lots of signs with "Km" or "Kg" some "kms" private signs all exercise machines at a gym, and weights, still in lbs. and miles grocery stores a total mess: fruits and veges in pounds, with kg sometimes added; milk in nice 2 and 4 L containers; stuff in cans and bottles mostly in US style containers with oddball metric contents which are undoubtedly US sizes; cans of beer in 355 and even 34-something mL sizes a weird poster on a taxicab window advised riders that the cab rate was a certain rate (such as $1.50) per 1.5 km, and helpfully added that this amounted to xxx cents per something like 52.031 metres or some crazy figure! I think fish and meat servings at restaurants often were offered in 8 and 12 ounce options Canada obviously has a long way to go, but this is not news. HARRY WYETH
