{"id":23075,"date":"2019-03-01T11:14:59","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T16:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=23075"},"modified":"2019-03-01T11:14:59","modified_gmt":"2019-03-01T16:14:59","slug":"march-1-7-is-national-weights-and-measures-week-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2019\/03\/01\/march-1-7-is-national-weights-and-measures-week-2\/","title":{"rendered":"March 1-7 is National Weights and Measures Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s theme: \u2018Valued Traditions and New Innovations\u2019<\/em><\/h3>\n

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Secretary Joe Bartenfelder and Deputy Secretary Julie Oberg present Governor\u2019s Citation to Weights & Measures program manager Ken Ramsburg and staff.<\/p><\/div>\n

ANNAPOLIS, MD <\/strong>\u2013 Every day, Marylanders pay for consumer products based on a weight or measurement\u2014like a gallon of gas or a pound of meat. The Maryland Department of Agriculture\u2019s Weights and Measures unit is responsible for ensuring those measurements are correct so that consumers get what they pay for. To recognize this important work, Governor Larry Hogan has issued a proclamation declaring March 1 \u2013 7 Weights and Measures Week in Maryland.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Weights and Measures Inspectors stay informed of the ever-changing technological advancements in weighing and measuring devices as well as the latest laws and inspection procedures,\u201d said Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. \u201cTheir efforts protect consumers by ensuring fairness in commercial transactions involving anything sold by weight, measure, or count. They also help ensure a fair playing field for businesses around the state. Weights and Measures Week gives us an opportunity to recognize the important work they do for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The theme for this year\u2019s Weights and Measures week is \u2018Valued Traditions and New Innovations.\u2019 This theme emphasizes the efforts of inspectors who have been verifying and testing scales and meters and the net contents of packaged goods for many, many years. It may seem routine, but it is a constant challenge to keep pace with new technology and marketing practices.<\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s Weights and Measures unit inspects 60,703 weighing and measuring devices in commercial use at 8,852 businesses around the state. In FY 2018, field staff conducted more than 25,256 inspections of commercial weighing and measuring devices, which include cash registers and deli scales, shipping scales, large truck scales, fuel pumps, meters to measure home heating oil and propane, and other weighing and measuring devices used to determine the price of a product sold to a consumer. The department also inspected more than 5,474 individual lots of pre-packaged commodities offered for sale and investigated 455 consumer complaints, the majority of which were related to gasoline sales.<\/p>\n

For information on the Weights and Measures Program in Maryland, or if you think the \u201ccord\u201d of firewood delivered to your home is a short measure, the gasoline pump at the corner gas station is incorrect, or the weight or measure of any product you purchased is incorrect, contact the department\u2019s\u00a0Weights and Measures Section<\/a>\u00a0at (410) 841-5790 or email:\u00a0weights.measures@maryland.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information on the Weights and Measures Program in Maryland, see:<\/p>\n