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American consumers beware!
The Great Metric Rip-Off
There is incontestable
evidence that the metric system causes "downsizing", whereby packaged foods and
goods are reduced on conversion from pounds and pints to grams and millilitres.
The experience in England is that, once laws requiring lb/oz/pints labels are
removed, producers drop English units and downsize to metric quantities -
with no reduction in price.
This page features examples of
metric downsizing as witnessed in England. England's experience of metric
serves as a warning to America: don't accept metric-only
labeling.
| Metric downsizing close up:
Schwartz herbs and spices. Labels change from 1oz/28g to 28g and then to 26g.
The 26g jar contains 8% less than the 1oz jar. |
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| Procter & Gamble's
shrinking products conceal price rises: cans of Procter & Gamble Pringles
crisps, weighing 2oz but labelled 56g (left), were reduced to a "hard" metric
quantity of 50g. No decrease in the price was made, meaning an overnight price
increase of 12% in real terms for Procter & Gamble. |
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The
English Provender Company downsized its dressings and sauces by 28% on
switching from customary to metric jars. The jar on the left is the traditional
12 fl oz jar, to the right is the metric 250g version (the equivalent of only
8.8 fl oz). Prices were also reduced, but only from £1.77 to £1.57,
or 11%, meaning a price rise in real terms of 17%.
Below: the
labels close up, showing the absence of a fluid ounce indication on the
smaller, metric product. The product descriptions are
identical. |
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| Featured below
are two versions of the confectionery product Fox's Glacier Mints. To the left
is a bag weighing 8 ounces - however, the reference to 8 oz was replaced with
"227g". To the right is the downsized metric bag of 200g. There was no decrease
in price. |
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Other examples from
England:
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Crest toothpaste is owned by Procter & Gamble: 3oz tube
labels were changed to 85g - then reduced to 75g. No change in
price. |
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Campbell's: labels on cans of stew (Irish, Beef, Chicken) and
Ready Meals (Chilli Con Carni, Beef Curry, Chicken Curry) were changed from
15oz to 425g. All cans were subsequently reduced to 392g (or just 13.8oz).
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Mattessons sliced meat: re-labelled sixteen varieties of sliced
meat from 4oz to 113g, then reduced them to 100g (the equivalent of
3½oz) with no comparable price reduction. For example, 113g packets of
Sliced Ham were reduced by half an ounce but stayed at their 99p
price. |
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Heinz Baked Beans: used to be sold in 1 lb cans, then converted
to metric. Subsequently reduced to 415g (minus 9%). |
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