SECTION
2
Quantity Marking Requirements
– Weights and Measures Regulations 1999 and Amendments
Version Control June 2013
NO
YES
Signals the end
of the flowchart
(may also include an
instruction)
Instruction
ue
Question
in
Record
co
nt
START
Where
to start
Key to Section 2
1
Reference to a
Supplementary
note or diagram
elsewhere on the
page e.g. NB1
or D1
NBχ
Dχ
START
SECTION
2
Quantity Marking Requirements – Weights and Measures Regulations 1999 and Amendments
Is the
food in
a package?
YES
YES
Is the food
for retail sale?
Is it being sold at a
fundraising event
(i.e. no personal
financial gain)?
e.g. food weighed and
packed in front of the
purchaser at the
supermarket
deli-counter.
NO
Is the food,
weighed, counted
or measured and
packaged by the seller
in the purchaser’s
presence?
NO
NO
The Food Product
is NOT required to bear a
[separate] Quantity Marking (such
as Net Weight, Net Volume, or Number
of Contents). RETURN TO (II) in
Section 1: Main Flow Diagram
and continue from there.
Is the food
packaged by the
purchaser, and the
purchaser is present
when the seller weighs,
counts or measures
the package?
e.g. self-serve
fresh fruit or
vegetables that
are packed by the
purchaser, and are
weighed at the checkout counter by the
check-out operator.
YES
e.g. 1 leg
of ham in
transparent
wrapping.
Does each
package of the
food contain no
more than 8 single
items?
e.g. a punnet of fresh
strawberries weighing
less than 500g.
YES
Is the
food an item
of confectionery OR
chocolate of a quantity
less than 15g or 15ml OR
a single novelty item
OR a single Easter
egg?
Labelling Guide Section 2 – Quantity Marking Requirements June 2013
YES
NO
Is the
food raw fruit
or vegetables that,
immediately after being
picked, is packed directly
into the retail package in
units of not more than
500g?
VERSION 3
Is the package
made of transparent
wrapping such that
the contents are able to
be clearly seen and
counted by the
purchaser?
NO
YES
SECTION 2: PAGE 1 OF 2
Is the food
ordinarily sold by
number of contents
in the package?
YES
YES
To qualify for this exemption,
the bottle must also hold
the correct volume when
filled to within 10mm of the
top of the bottle. e.g. glass
bottles where the only other
labelling is on the foil lid.
This means either
the wrapping is not
transparent, or its
contents are not
able to be clearly
seen and counted
by the purchaser.
Is the
volume clearly
and legibly embossed
above the shoulder of
the bottle in letters and
figures not less than
6.5mm in height?
In order to answer ‘yes’ to this question
the bottles must be glass bottles that are
themselves approved measures.
NO
This means each package
of the food contains more
than 8 single items.
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
Is the food milk
or cream packed
in bottles with 600,
300 or 150ml
volume?
NO
SECTION
Quantity Marking Requirements – Weights and Measures Regulations 1999 and Amendments
For example, is the food Solid, or Semi-Solid and
normally sold by weight? e.g. frozen meals, snack
products, meat, cheese, thick sauces, honey,
Is a Statement
yoghurt, aerosol products4.
of Net Weight the
NO
most appropriate form of
Statement of Quantity for
NOTE: You must use ONLY ONE of the units specified. i.e. you CANNOT
the sale of
have the net weight stated in BOTH g AND kg for example.
the food?
YES
e.g. DECIMAL Figures means you would use ‘1.5g’ rather than ‘11/2g’.
In the same ‘field of vision’ as the main labelling panel that is normally
seen when the food is displayed for sale would be a prominent position.
Is a Statement
of Net Volume the
most appropriate form of
Statement of Quantity for
the sale of the
food?
For example, is the food Liquid, such
as beverages, cream, yogurt drinks,
vegetable oils and sauces? OR is it
normally sold by liquid measure?
e.g. ice-cream4.
NO
YES
State the Net Weight on the label of the outer package (see diagram
D1 below) in kilograms (kg) or grams (g) or milligrams (mg). The Net Weight
must be clearly written or printed in letters and decimal figures of at least
2mm in height and in a colour that contrasts distinctly with the background.
You must only use the abbreviations shown above and it must be in the
form of the following examples: ‘NET WEIGHT 1.5kg’, or ‘NET 1.5kg’, or
‘1.5kg’. It must also be placed in a prominent position in close proximity
to the Name or Description of the Food. NB1
Since neither the Weight, nor Volume is appropriate, a Statement of
Number of Contents must be the most appropriate form of Statement of
Quantity for the sale of the food. State the Number of Contents on the label
of the outer package (see diagram D1 below). The Number of Contents
Statement must be clearly written or printed in letters and figures of at
least 2mm in height and in a colour that contrasts distinctly with the
background. It must also be placed in a prominent position in close
proximity to the Name or Description of the Food. NB1
continue
D1
e.g. this is an inner package
continue
NOTE: You must use ONLY ONE of
the units specified i.e. you CANNOT
have the net volume stated in BOTH
ml AND L for example.
e.g. DECIMAL Figures
means you would use ‘1.5L’ rather
than ‘11/2L’.
In the same ‘field of vision’
as the main labelling panel
that is normally seen when
the food is displayed for
sale would be a prominent
position.
e.g. this is an outer package
[as would normally be
seen and taken away
by the purchaser]
NB1
NOTE: You should also consider whether or not your quantity marking is misleading. e.g. MPI suggests that where
foods are packed in a liquid medium that is intended to be discarded before consumption (e.g. jars of olives or
capers, or canned whole kernel sweet corn, preserved in oil or brine) that you also include the drained weight on
the label. If the name of the food includes the packing medium (e.g. ‘Peaches in Juice’ or ‘Peaches in Syrup’) then
the packing medium (i.e. juice or syrup in this case) would be included when quantifying the net contents of the
package. If however the name of the food on the label did not include the packing medium (e.g. just ‘Olives’ rather
than ‘Olives in Oil’ then only the olives, not the liquid medium (i.e. the oil), would be considered when establishing the
net contents of the package.
VERSION 3
SECTION 2: PAGE 2 OF 2
State the Net Volume on the label of the outer package (see diagram
D1 at left) in litres (l or L), decilitres (dl or dL), centilitres (cl or cL) or millilitres
(ml or mL). The Net Volume must be clearly written or printed in letters
and decimal figures of at least 2mm in height and in a colour that contrasts
distinctly with the background. You must only use the abbreviations shown
above and it must be in the form of the following examples: ‘NET MEASURE
1.5L’, or ‘NET 1.5L’, or ‘1.5L’. It must also be placed in a prominent
position in close proximity to the Name or Description of the Food. NB1
Does the food
have an Outer
Package containing
2 or more Inner
Packages? D1
NO
e.g. 1 dozen size 7 eggs, or 10 taco
shells, or 30 tea-bags, or 1 leg of ham
in wrapping that’s not transparent.
You also need to have the weight in
some cases, such as an Outer Package
containing 2 or more Inner Packages
– refer to the rectangular box at the
bottom of this page 2 of Section 2.
In the same ‘field of vision’ as the main
labelling panel that is normally seen
when the food is displayed for sale
would be a prominent position.
continue
YES
Labelling Guide Section 2 – Quantity Marking Requirements June 2013
2
RETURN TO (II)
in Section 1:
Main Flow Diagram
and continue
from there
continue
In addition to the Quantity Marking requirements above (for Net Weight, Net
Volume, or Number of Contents), you also need to state
on the OUTER Package: (a) the total quantity of all the packages in
the outer package, OR (b) the number of packages contained in the Outer Package
and the quantity of each of those packages. Also state the Net Weight or Net Volume
(as appropriate) of the inner package on every INNER package (written/printed in
letters and decimal figures of > 2mm in height and in a colour that contrasts with
the background. Use the abbreviations as described above for outer packages).
NOTE: This requirement does not apply to
an Outer Package that is:
(1) for the purposes of transportation
and distribution only, and (2) of a kind
intended to be removed before the food
is offered for retail sale and that is not
normally taken away by the purchaser of
the food.
e.g. (a) ‘10 Snack Bars NET 200g’, OR
(b) ‘NET 200g, 10 Bars of 20g Each’ or
‘NET 140g 10 sachets of 14g each’.
www.foodsafety.govt.nz
Ministry for Primary Industries
Manatū Ahu Matua
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140
NEW ZEALAND
Telephone 0800 00 83 33
FOOD SAFETY CONCERNS 0800 693 721