Sigh. Running a business in this country sure is not meant to be easy! I have been in semi-regular contact with the Local Council food agency (See Label Approval) to confirm what’s actually required on the labels. I needed to do this recently as I’ve been trying a couple of other cookie types out, which have different ingredients. Therefore I wanted to be sure that the information required on the labelling would be correct.
A casual comment in the email – “If you make larger packets you may fall into weights and measures regulations regarding packaged biscuits – at this weight you are fine” made me go “what?” and find out more information. The next follow up email had this to say – “Oops bomb shell! Right I have attached the necessary order. Head straight for Schedule 1 Article 3. Basically you will have to sell by prescribed weights or multiples there of.”
As you can see from the attached PDF, it’s correct. The UK in their wisdom have regulated that if you sell particular products you are only allowed to sell them in the weight’s specified.
It even varies from food type to type. So as described in the appendix, if your selling pre-packaged biscuits, once they weight over 85g your only allowed to sell them in amounts of 100g, 125g, 150g, 200g, 250g, 300g, or a multiple of 100g.
So if you have a bag of biscuits and labelled them as 170g is illegal! How crazy is that? I’m sure there is some reason for it.. and it’s not excessive legislation… but at the moment I can’t really think why the Government would want to protect us from 170g packaged biscuits.
The Vogon’s could learn a thing or two from this.