SCOTS not getting what they have paid for could be contributing to the cost-of-living crisis, Trading Standards officers have warned, after stores were found selling them short.
Weight checks on packaged goods carried out by Trading Standards officers in the west of Scotland found items weighing less than the packaging claimed in 17 out of 39 stores.
A total of 296 different product lines were checked, with 8% being found to contain short-weight packs – packages which contain less than twice the allowed error in their weight.
David MacKenzie, chairman of the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland, said: “With the current cost-of-living crisis, it is even more important that the processes and systems that should be in place are working properly and consumers get what they pay for.”
Officers checked 2496 packs and 71, or 3%, were found to be short-weight, with deficiencies as high as 23%, seeing shoppers as much as £1.10 out of pocket per pack.
Trading Standards said although the majority of packs did not raise concerns, 15 packers were found to have placed non-compliant products on the market.
One packer, with a contract to supply 500,000 supermarket-ready meals every week, was found to have produced packs with deficiencies of as much as 14%, representing a loss to consumers of 26p per pack.
Trading Standards said if the same level was replicated across the firm’s entire production it could cost customers as much as £130,000 a week, or £6.76 million ever year.
MacKenzie said: “Measurement is at the heart of fair trade in goods and is a core issue for Trading Standards teams across Scotland, making sure that consumers get what they pay for and that businesses are weighing and measuring goods accurately.”
In all instances where deficiencies were found, Trading Standards said that follow-up visits were made by officers to make sure issues within packing were fixed.
