Butchers and greengrocers caught incorrectly charging shoppers

A report has found that butchers and greengrocers around the country are incorrectly customers by selling goods with the wrong weight marked on the package.

A number of retailers nation-wide have been reprimanded for selling packaged meat, fruit and vegetables that are marked with the incorrect weight and charging customers the wrong price.

The National Measurement Institute’s (NMI) 2015-16 compliance report found 42 per cent of the 642 meat retail businesses and 50 per cent of the 332 fruit and vegetable retailers it audited failed to comply with trade measurement law.

Martin Clark, chief executive of NSW Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries, told The Sydney Morning Herald the issue was not intentional.

“We’re seeing a rise in pre-packaged products, like apples, because they’re convenient,” he said.

“What’s happening is the fruit and vegetables are correctly labelled when they’re packed, but because they lose moisture over time, there’s shrinkage, and that’s causing the variation.”

A number of other businesses have been caught up in the report, with seafood wholesale, fuel wholesale, precious metal and stone, and recycling all named.

The NMI said they were unable to name and shame the specific businesses involved because of strict laws around the issue.

This means until businesses make changes to fix their measurements, customers will continue to be charged the wrong price.

The report did not specify whether or not the incorrect weights were causing shoppers to pay more or less at the till.

The NMI issued 2938 non-compliance notices, sent 186 warning letters, and 87 infringement notices with fines totalling $85,100 following their audits around the country.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you feel like you already pay too much at the supermarket?