A national operation to control weighing devices in the agri-food sector was launched by Emmanuel Macron, the Minister of Economy, Industry and Digital, in September and October 2015. The aim was to to ensure fair commercial transactions between consumers and professionals.
In the Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées, 276 sites that have, or should have, legal measuring devices were controlled. During the operation it was revealed that some instruments did not comply and users were informed that they should not be used until they do. Such devices were given a red “non-complying instrument” sticker.
The level of non-complying instruments is lower than when the same operation was carried out in 2011 (22% compared to 31% in 2011), but it is still high. Professionals effected were notable in canneries, such as the foie gras sector, but also herb or fruit producers, ice or sorbet manufacturers, mushroom traders and artisanal brewers.
Non-compliance concerned the absence of legal measuring instruments, going past the periodic inspection date and non-compliances concerning “sealing” settings. However, a very clear improvement in certified organisations was noted.
Pre-wrapped grapes in the Tarn-et-Garonne particularly stood out. Most of the 30 producers that were controlled did not have a legal measuring instrument for their wrapped produce (e.g. their 750g punnets).
An inspection also took place on France’s largest fruit and vegetable site, St Charles International in Perpignan (1,500,000 tons/year). Non-compliance was particularly low here, with only one out of the ten companies controlled not using the correct instruments.