Fair Trading blitz ensures shoppers aren’t being ripped off
Posted by editor (editor) on Jun 10 2010
2010 >>

Fair Trading continues to weigh in on whether Queensland products measure up, checking everything from corner store milk and supermarket deli ham to petrol from service stations around the state.

Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor today revealed details of the Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) blitz of shelves around Queensland as part of its ongoing compliance activities which involved measuring weight, size or volume of the products we buy.

"From July 2009 to February 2010, OFT inspectors were busy visiting 2,573 shops, retail outlets and other traders," Mr Lawlor said.

"During the visits, OFT inspectors tested more than 4,200 measuring instruments to make sure the businesses were measuring and calculating prices correctly for customers.

"This included instruments such as scales used to weigh anything from fresh fruit and vegetables bought at weekend markets and sausages from the butcher, through to bowsers pumping out fuel.

"Almost 100 traders were found to be incorrectly measuring their goods."

Mr Lawlor said more than 27,000 separate pre-packaged products found on shelves were also tested.

"Any type of product in a packet, container or other packaging can be checked, such as meat packed at abattoirs, shampoo or toilet paper from supermarket shelves, bags of lollies bought at the servo through to bottles of chemicals used in industry.

"Almost 12 per cent - or 3,203 - of the 27,000 packaged items tested were found to be short measure.

Short measure articles detected during the checks from July 2009 to February 2010 included:
• meat including small goods
• wholesale fruit and vegetables
• garden mulch
• confectionery
• retail fruit and vegetables
• snack foods
• frozen seafood
• deli items
• cheese
• eggs
• firewood
• cakes


"The OFT is determined to ensure Queenslanders get what they pay for and that traders, knowingly or unwittingly, aren't ripping people off."

Mr Lawlor said a retailer incorrectly weighing and dispensing goods, or a business incorrectly packing goods for pre-packaged products, could end up paying for it.

"As a result of our latest compliance checks, 1,297 formal warnings were issued.

"Another 141 infringement notices were handed out mostly because of pre-packed items having a different quantity to what’s on the label or for failing to allow for the weight of the plastic tub or paper bag when measuring."

Mr Lawlor said the type of enforcement action was dependent upon such of things as the degree of short measure detected and the trader’s previous compliance history.

"Traders with minor discrepancies were likely to receive warnings, with infringement notices or prosecutions being issued for more serious offences."

Mr Lawlor said the OFT had finalised two prosecutions against one company relating to short measure pre-packed articles.

T & D Trading was prosecuted and fined $6,000 on 19 February at the Holland Park Magistrates Court for two breaches relating to underweight dried chilli and yeast packets which were found at an Asian supermarket in Tewantin and at the company's warehouse in Rocklea.

For more information or to report a trader visit: www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au

Trade Measurement visits by district for the period 1 July 2009 to 28 February 2010:

Brisbane - 870
Cairns - 195
Townsville - 206
Rockhampton - 115
Hervey Bay - 183
Sunshine Coast - 475
Gold Coast - 172
Toowoomba - 357

Last changed: Jun 10 2010 at 2:32 PM