Minimum weight checks before packaging

Dear All,

We are a small bakery. We don’t have a check weigher to reject any underweight products. We do six random weight checks for each type of product is packed to calculate average weight. We also record these weight checks.

Does anyone know what is the legal situation for these weight checks? How many minimum checks should be done. Any reference document would be greatly helpful.


Please share your thoughts and experiences.

Regards

Martinblue

Can anyone help Martin out with this query?

Regards,
Simon

Hi Martinblue,

Is there not any average weights / trade weights and measures or packers legislation in the UK? I may be wrong but I thought you have a similar system to what we have in NZ.

There is absolutelly clear standard in Russia and contries of old USSR, this is GOST 8.579-2002. I think it should be compatible with international requirements, because the products are successfully exported to EU.

Hi Martinblue, we are in the same situation (small bakery & no checkweigher). Actually I use the NIST sampling plan (table 2-1 page A-2) for US or for Canada (appendix V) . e.g. if we plan to produce 4000 pizza for USA (table 2-1: more than 3200, sample size is 48), we verify more than 48 packages (random) during the production.


I hope this will be helpful



Beatlevi

Dear Martinblue,

Maybe the answer is here (taking due note of product exceptions as discussed in the surrounding thread) -

http://www.ifsqn.com...dpost__p__44207

(second link, section2)

Rgds / Charles.C

Have a word with Trading Standards / Weights and Measures:

http://www.tradingst...business-wm.cfm

I'm no expert but I think it depends if you are selling things "by weight". We are, so we have to make sure scales are properly certified for that use (they have to have a crown stamp on them or something).

I have the answer for you. I also work in a small bakery.

Unfortunately the packers guide is now out of print, however, there is an excellent section in it which is worth looking at. If you've not got a copy, ask your TSO for a copy (or if they're a bit more tentative about it, they may allow you to "borrow it" in the vicinity of a photocopier for 10 mins or so to copy the relevant sections.)

What you need is section F, an 'off the peg' control system. I bet you don't make 10,000 loaves a day right? So for that you need to take two samples of 3-5 items each. I would suggest 5 is probably better practice and I would calculate the average, T1-T2 and <T2 for each sampling.

Now, you state you're checking before packing? So presumably as you are checking weights, this is for bread not rolls etc? (Note that for rolls, as each roll is under 300g, you do not need to declare the weight, only the count.)

So particularly if you are slicing the bread, you need to work out how much weight is lost in slicing and in drying out throughout the product life and add this onto your target.

Now officially you also should add a sampling allowance to your target but in practice, I don't know anyone who does if I'm 100% honest. But you should. Must get round to that. I just get confused by the Maths at that point and IME so do TSOs...

Dear Martinblue,

The attachment below is a case study claiming to illustrate the off-the-peg weight control system as per Appendix F (maybe as referred in previous post).

uk weight control fish packing.pdf   589.84KB   36 downloads

If this is the simple version, don’t think I wish to see the heavyweight section (Appendix C, D apparently).
(Maybe there are other simplified options described in the original document).

Further ("simplified") guidance here(eg pg22).

uk weight control guidance 2007.pdf   354.66KB   62 downloads

added - the attachment below (1997) explains that 2 basic legally acceptable solutions existed (in 1997) involving use or non-use of the comprehensive SPC/control forms etc. Details of pros/cons via case studies are given on 2 approaches and it examples one bakery in the latter group. I am not sure if this situation/option has significantly changed following the 2006 regulations.

statistical process control in UK food production 1997.pdf   119.68KB   57 downloads
(pg 226 onwards)

An earlier thread started by Caddyshack focuses on the "heavier" side –
http://www.ifsqn.com...er-calibration/

Rgds / Charles.C

added - from a brief scan of the various documents I deduce that, for some situations (eg see pg15/schedule6/bread in 2nd link above), other specific product options are also existing.

In Europe we have the Council Directive 76/211/EEC of 20 January 1976 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making-up by weight or by volume of certain prepackaged products. I found this excel file http://www.ssica.it/...mid,34/lang,en/ used to calculated the weight of the production lot.
Ciao,

Mauro

In Europe we have the Council Directive 76/211/EEC of 20 January 1976 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making-up by weight or by volume of certain prepackaged products. I found this excel file http://www.ssica.it/...mid,34/lang,en/ used to calculated the weight of the production lot.
Ciao,

Mauro

Dear mauro,

Sadly seems to only generate an excel file in Italian on my PC.

Looks as if it might be interesting though. Thank you.

Rgds / Charles.C

In Europe we have the Council Directive 76/211/EEC of 20 January 1976 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making-up by weight or by volume of certain prepackaged products. I found this excel file http://www.ssica.it/...mid,34/lang,en/ used to calculated the weight of the production lot.
Ciao,

Mauro

Hello, can you post the link again because I can't open this one? thank you very much

try this 

https://europa.eu/yo...rk/index_en.htm