PURPOSE: This rule updates inspection procedures of prepacked commodities and merchandise.

Editor’s Note: The secretary of state has determined that the publication of this rule in its entirety would be unduly cumbersome or expensive. The entire text of the material referenced has been filed with the secretary of state. This material may be found at the Office of the Secretary of State or at the headquarters of the agency and is available to any interested person at a cost established by state law.

SUMMARY: NBS Handbook 133 provides procedures to test (by using statistical sampling techniques) individual lots of packages for conformance with legal requirements. Anything that is put into a container, wrapped, or banded and labeled as to quantity may be inspected. The labeled quantity may be of weight, volume, linear, square or cubic measure, count or combination. The examination of packaged commodities may be to determine conformance with federal, state or local net contents labeling regulations. Most often, compliance testing of packaged goods is carried out to protect the consumer/purchaser against buying packages with less in them than the labeled quantity and to advise the manufacturer to improve delivered product quantities when necessary. Inspection for compliance with other labeling requirements (such as size of lettering or units of measurement) also may accompany package quantity compliance testing, but is not covered in this document.

1. (1) The technical procedures and methods used by the Division of Weights and Measures for measuring and inspecting packages or amounts of commodities kept, offered, exposed for sale, sold or in the process of delivery, shall be those procedures and methods described and specified in the National Bureau of Standards Handbook 133, Checking the Net Contents of Packaged Goods. 2 CSR 90-23
2. (2) The director of the Department of Agriculture or a designated subordinate shall amend this rule as each new addition, amendment or revision of Handbook 133 is published and becomes available. Should any portion of Handbook 133 be deemed unacceptable, rules will be promulgated within this chapter denoting and excepting those portions and adopting alternative provisions as deemed necessary by the director of the Department of Agriculture.

AUTHORITY: section 413.065, RSMo 1986.* Original rule filed Sept. 14, 1981, effective Dec. 15, 1981. *Original authority: 413.065, RSMo 1983.