John Steele, I read the FMI posting by Ms. Tansing, and continue to have the distinct impression that the FMI *begins* with opposition to metric-only labeling, and then searches for all imaginable excuses, however questionable, to oppose metric-only labeling.
The FMI continues to favor confusion rather than clarification of units of measurement for the benefit of marketing deceptions, rather than for the benefit of unit price comparisons by consumers offered by metric-only labels. E. A. Mechtly ---- Original message ---- >Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2011 04:08:34 -0700 (PDT) >From: "John M. Steele" <[email protected]> >Subject: [USMA:50288] Re: The FPLA amendment will likely make a difference >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> >Cc: [email protected] > > For a long time there has been nothing on the FMI > website (what was there years ago had disappeared). > However, a current search turns up the following > link: > http://www.fmi.org/gr/issues/gr_issues_display.cfm?id=156 > > It is a rehash of points they raised years ago. > Most of the points are either outright lies or are > inaccurate depending on whether you believe the > author is deliberately trying to mislead people or > is clueless. Certainly the FMI "reaction" has > totally ignored recent clarifications and updates by > NIST on the whole matter, and reflects knee-jerk, > poorly thought-out reaction. Numbering the tic > points under Grocery Industry Impact as 1-14: > > 1) Lie: Their food products are already labeled in > metric, it's the law. What is up for discussion is > whether Customary can be dropped. Do consumers > understand 2 L better on a bottle of soda than the > 67.6 fl oz? > > 2) Lie: Unit prices may already be given in either > metric or Customary units. The packages that are > not "metric only" will still have metric, allowing > for unit pricing in metric. Alternatively, the > software can convert to calculate a Customary unit > price. > > 3) Lie: If grocers are consistent in their units > (the law says they should be, but many aren't) > across "like product," simply pick the lowest > price. An aside, but inconsistent units are a pet > peeve in unit pricing. Soda may be priced by the > ounce or quart and different brands or different > sizes use a different basis. The same occurs in > many other aisles. It is clear grocers don't WANT > customers comparing prices. > > 4) Lie: NIST is clear in the amendment that this is > not a requirement. Imported products are already in > those standard sizes with a token Customary label > slapped on. Some manufacturers may introduce new > sizes and rationalize their domestic and export > products. However, that will be their decision and > is not required by the law. In fact the law doesn't > require anything, it ALLOWS dropping the Customary. > > 5) Misleading: True as written but no package > changes are required. > > 6) Lie: The proposed amendment SPECIFICALLY allows > random weight packages to be weighed in > Customary-only. The change is that the law would > allow, not require, metric-only or dual, in > addition. > > 7) Lie: Metric-only will not require this. Package > size changes probably would, but they are not > required by the FPLA amendment, which SPECIFICALLY > states they are not required. > > 8) Unclear: If the government approves metric-only, > it would appear the government needs to fix this. > It is possibly a point that needs to be addressed. > Point 9 is just elaboration on point 8 > > 10-14) Unclear: Internal store operations that I > don't fully understand. However, the notion of > labels frozen for 50 weeks is absurd. My store > changes a large number of shelf-edge labels every > week with specials. The product description is on > that label along with unit price info. Some of > these seem preposterous. I would note that price > advertising on soda is normally on the basis of 2 L > bottles not 67.6 fl oz bottles. I am sure the > problems could be solved. > > Finally, I would note the law does NOT require > Customary to be dropped, it ALLOWS the Customary to > be dropped. I would expect manufacturers to > consider and react to issues that grocers and > customers may have to avoid drops in sales. I would > further note that many products are already offered > in rounded metric sizes; many are listed on the USMA > website and grocers have accomodated. Some are > individual manufacturers, some like soda, bottled > water, olive oil, specialty vinegars, etc are > essentially industry-wide. > I have cc'd the author of the FMI position paper on > this response. > > ------------------------------------------------ > > From: James R. Frysinger <[email protected]> > To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> > Sent: Tue, April 5, 2011 12:24:20 AM > Subject: [USMA:50287] Re: The FPLA amendment will > likely make a difference > There is nothing that has been presented to Congress > to revise the FPLA. As NIST has noted for a few > years now, the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) has > been a formidable opponent of an optional > metric-only FPLA. They have posted some discussion > of this on their website.* To present a suggested > amendment now would definitely be futile. NIST > continues to negotiate with the FMI on this matter > and I think that some progress is being made. > > Jim > > * We were without electricity for several hours and > got it back only in time for me to check essential > mail, leaks, etc. before bedtime. I trust interested > parties can look the matter up on their website. > Metric Today (USMA's newsletter) has discussed this, > too. > > On 2011-04-04 2004, [email protected] > wrote: > > I am working in one of the data centers run by the > company I work for > > and I noticed the bottle of Purell hand sanitizer > placed in all of the > > break rooms is marked thus: > > > > 67.6 FL OZ (2 L) > > > > The product is distributed by GOJO Industries in > Akron, Ohio and is > > bottled for commercial use only. > > > > If the FPLA were amended to allow metric-only > labeling, I'm sure the > > next batch of labels printed by GOJO would drop > the floozies. And I'm > > sure lots of companies would do the same for their > retail packaging as well. > > > > Too bad we have an uninterested Congress now, > especially in the House of > > Representatives. > > > > Ezra > > -- James R. Frysinger > 632 Stony Point Mountain Road > Doyle, TN 38559-3030 > > (C) 931.212.0267 > (H) 931.657.3107 > (F) 931.657.3108
