On each package of food, drink or even cosmetic product, there is a small symbol placed right next to the weight or volume. But what does it really mean?
Product packaging, especially for food, contains a lot of information. For example, they indicate ingredients, nutritional information, expiration dates and batch data. If you look closely, you will sometimes notice a small ℮ written directly behind the product quantity. This is the case for all food and drinks, but also for cosmetics and cleaning products. We are so used to seeing it that we no longer pay attention to it. Maybe you never even noticed it. You’ll be watching next time you grab a bag of pasta! But what does this little symbol mean?
First, let’s get something straight. No, the ℮ sign affixed to packaging next to the capacity does not mean, as many people think, “approximately” or “estimated”. Officially, it’s quite the opposite. It absolutely does not indicate that the quantity of the product was estimated. In reality, it is the symbol of the European Economic Community (EEC). It indicates that the weight and volume have been measured in accordance with European Union rules, using instruments meeting the requirements of EU legislation, and therefore that the information on the pre-packages is correct. And that had better be the case, because the authorities are carrying out checks.
To ensure that the quantity displayed is correct, packaging bearing the ℮ symbol must therefore comply with the following rules:
- The average quantity of product packaged in packages from the same batch must be equal to or greater than the quantity indicated on the package;
- The nominal quantity relates only to the product: it does not include packaging or materials used to protect the product, handle it – like the stick of a lollipop –, store it or assist in using it – a serving tray For example ;
- Only a limited proportion of prepackaged products from the same batch may contain a quantity of product lower than that indicated on the packaging. This is called the “maximum permissible error”.
Depending on the weight of the product, this margin of error can be fixed or proportional. Thus, from 5 to 50 g or ml, the tolerated error is 9%, 4.5 or ml for products 50 to 100 g or ml, 9 g or ml for those 200 to 300 g or ml, 3% for those weighing 300 to 500 g or ml, etc. Thus, a packet of flour displaying a net weight of 1 kilo – without packaging – must contain at least 985 grams – i.e. a tolerated error of 15 grams – to comply with the regulations. Note that small packages benefit from a greater tolerance given their difficulty in filling. Afterwards, this does not prevent some errors…