Maryland Celebrates Weights and Measures Week: Ensuring Fairness in Commerce

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 1, 2025)– Every day, Maryland consumers purchase products based on weight or measurement, from gallons of gas to cords of wood. The Maryland Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures program plays a crucial role in ensuring that these measurements are accurate, helping to guarantee that consumers receive exactly what they pay for. In recognition of this vital work, the Maryland Department of Agriculture is celebrating Weights and Measures Week from March 1-7. 

Dedicated to inspecting weighing and measuring devices and assessing the net contents of packaged goods in the marketplace to ensure compliance with legal standards, the Weights and Measures program also addresses consumer complaints related to weight and measurement discrepancies, reinforcing the government’s commitment to fair trade practices.

“The Weights and Measures program is crucial for maintaining trust between consumers and businesses,” stated Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “Our dedicated team is committed to upholding standards and addressing consumer concerns, fostering integrity and fairness in commerce.”

Program staff conducts inspections of close to 65,000 devices used in about 6,200 businesses across the state. In FY24, field inspectors performed nearly 25,000 inspections of various commercial devices, including deli scales, shipping scales, large truck scales, fuel pumps, and meters for home heating oil and propane. Additionally, inspectors reviewed over 12,000 pre-packaged goods to uphold fair trading standards.

A key focus of the program is thoroughly investigating consumer complaints. In FY 2024, inspectors addressed various concerns, including complaints about firewood, gasoline, propane, gallon jugs of milk, and packaged chicken. Of the 189 complaints investigated, 30% were validated, leading to appropriate enforcement actions to rectify any violations.

The agency’s metrology department also plays an essential role in the program by providing calibration and certification services for state and industry standards used by service technicians. In the previous year, the lab successfully tested and certified approximately 1,500 weights and over 110 volumetric standards, ensuring accurate measurements for both consumers and businesses.

Weights and Measures Week aligns with National Weights and Measures Week, celebrating President John Adams’ signing of the first U.S. weights and measures law in 1799. This year’s theme, “Collaborating with Partners and Stakeholders for a Greater Measure of Equity,” emphasizing multiple collaborations in the field of weights and measures including those between national organizations, national and international trade associations, and members of National Council on Weights and Measures.

For further information about the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Weights and Measures Section or to submit a complaint, please visit the department’s website. The Weights and Measures Section can also be reached at (410) 841-5790 or weights.measures@maryland.gov.

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