Weight fraud explained

Weight fraud (also scale fraud and short-weighting) is a type of measurement fraud involving the mislabeling or inaccurate weighing of products. In this deceptive practice, products are labeled or weighed in a manner that falsely indicates a greater weight than they actually possess. For fraud deterrence, many locales require periodic calibration of weight scales and employ inspectors to verify that the legal standard definitions of weights are being met.

The rise of self-checkout has led to consumer weight fraud at the register resulting in shrinkage. Customers may intentionally or unintentionally misrepresent the weight of products when using self-checkout machines, leading to a discrepancy between the actual and recorded weights of products.

Weight fraud can also involve the adulterating the product through the addition of lower-cost, inferior, or unnecessary ingredients, such as water, in order to increase its overall weight. This type of adulteration allows manufacturers or sellers to artificially inflate the weight of the product while reducing their production costs, thereby increasing their profits. However, this form of weight fraud misleads consumers and may negatively impact the quality, safety, or nutritional value of the product, potentially resulting in harm to both the consumers and the integrity of the marketplace.

In transportation, freight brokers and carriers may misstate weights to maximize profits.

Food fraud

In retail food fraud, a product's packaging might state that it weighs more than it actually does, or a retail scale might be rigged to display an inflated weight.

The product's packaging may be fraudulently included in the product's weight, or if negligible, may be increased in weight, such as the pre-moistening of the meat diaper or adding ice to fish.^{[1] [2]} Other common forms of short-weight include the intentional glazing with a "marinade" of water, citric acid, and salt glaze.^{[3] [4]} The use of lower-cost plant-derived ingredients and the injection of water into meat may also occur.^[5]

Seafood

Shrimp and prawn may be injected with carboxymethyl cellulose gel to increase weight. Seafood may also be soaked in polyphosphates which have increased water retention allowing them to absorb excess water to increase weight.^[6]

Tea

Tea may be adulterated with fake materials and colorized agents to increase the volume that may be brewed.^[7]

United States

Retail

In the United States, weight fraud is monitored by inspectors, and has been an ongoing concern.^{[8] [9]}

In 1910, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture wrote:^[10]

A 2021 investigation by KNSD in San Diego found that some retail scales were measuring lighter than they should.^[11]

List of United States retail weight fraud cases

• In 1934, several New York matzoh manufacturers were found to be short-weighting their 5 lb packages to 4 lb 9 oz.^[12]
• In 2006, Albertsons was fined $2 million for failing to subtract packaging from deli and bulk food items.^[13]
• In 2015, Whole Foods in New York City was found to have routinely overstated the weight of prepackaged products.^[14]
• In 2024, Walmart settled a class action lawsuit for $45 million due to weight fraud.^{[15] [16]}

Agriculture

To deter scale fraud, the USDS requires that stockyard owners, swine contractors, market agencies, dealers (including video auctions), packers, or live poultry dealers that weigh livestock, live poultry, or feed, must have their scales tested at least twice each calendar year. The first scale tests must occur between January 1 and June 30 of the calendar year and the second must occur between July 1 and December 31 of the calendar year. A minimum of 120 days is required between these two tests. More frequent testing is required for scales that do not maintain accuracy between tests.^[17]

Freight

In 1979, a GAO report found that household movers routinely inflated freight weights in a practice called "weight bumping."^{[18] [19]}

In 2016, Maersk was fined $3.7 million for falsely inflating military cargo freight weights.^[20]

Freight weight fraud may also endangers carriers such as vessels and planes by shifting the center of gravity.^[21]

See also

• Shrinkflation
• NIST Handbook 133, Checking the Net Contents of Packaged Goods

Notes and References

1. Book: Ryan . John M. . Food Fraud . 19 October 2015 . Academic Press . 978-0-12-803398-2 . en. 39.
2. Tuttle . Brad . There's Like a 50-50 Chance You're Paying Too Much for Seafood . 18 May 2024 . Time . 26 September 2012.
3. Web site: Sefcik . David . Seafood Alert! . NIST . 1 May 2024 . Winter 2009. F-026.
4. Sefcik . David . Seafood Fraud – Where are We Now? . NIST . 1 May 2024 . December 2011. Weights and Measures Connection . 2 . 7 . F-031.
5. Li . Xiaoman . Zang . Mingwu . Li . Dan . Zhang . Kaihua . Zhang . Zheqi . Wang . Shouwei . Meat food fraud risk in Chinese markets 2012–2021 . npj Science of Food . 3 April 2023 . 7 . 1 . 12 . 10.1038/s41538-023-00189-z . 37012259 . 10070328 .
6. Book: Hellberg . Rosalee S. . Everstine . Karen . Sklare . Steven A. . Food Fraud: A Global Threat with Public Health and Economic Consequences . 30 November 2020 . Academic Press . 978-0-12-817243-8 . 117-118 . en.
7. Book: Hellberg . Rosalee S. . Everstine . Karen . Sklare . Steven A. . Food Fraud: A Global Threat with Public Health and Economic Consequences . 30 November 2020 . Academic Press . 978-0-12-817243-8 . 144 . en.
8. News: Hamilton . Brad . The price is wrong: How city stores nickel and dime us all . 29 April 2024 . 22 November 2009.
9. News: Weighty issue: Mislabeling of frozen fish, seafood rarely punished . 19 May 2024 . Chicago Tribune . 25 April 2010.
10. The Short Weighted Fraud. Monthly Bulletin of the Dairy and Food Division of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture . 1910 . Office of the State Printer. . 18 . 29 April 2024 . en. The Short Weighted Fraud.. 8. 8.
11. News: Flores . Sergio . Kjeldgaard . Nicholas . Dorfman . Mike . Are You Getting What You Pay For? Violations Discovered at San Diego County Grocery-Store Scales . 29 April 2024 . NBC 7 San Diego . 18 March 2022.
12. News: Matzoh Moguls Are Summoned in Short Weight Inquiry Here . 19 May 2024 . Jewish Telegraphic Agency . 20 March 2015.
13. News: Albertson"s to pay $2M in fraud case . 29 April 2024 . Times Herald Online . 2 June 2006.
14. News: Whole Foods Accused of Overcharging by Exaggerating Weight of Packaged Foods, Officials Say . 29 April 2024 . ABC News . June 24, 2015 . en.
15. News: DeVon . Cheyenne . You could claim up to $500 from Walmart as a part of a $45 million class action lawsuit—here's how to check . 29 April 2024 . CNBC . 19 April 2024 . en.
16. Web site: Walmart settlement over groceries sold by weight: How to get your money . WKYC Channel 3 . YouTube . 29 April 2024 . en . March 1, 2024.
17. Web site: Scales and Weighing . USDA . 29 April 2024.
18. News: GAO Criticizes ICC Movers Data On Weighing . 29 April 2024 . Washington Post . May 26, 1979.
19. Web site: 'Weight Bumping'--Falsifying Household Moving Weights To Increase Charges--What ICC Needs To Do . GAO . 29 April 2024 . May 1, 1979. CED-79-75.
20. News: US fines Maersk subsidiaries for container weight fraud – Professional Mariner . 11 May 2024 . Professional Mariner . March 14, 2016.
21. News: IMB unveils container weight fraud case . SAFETY4SEA . 14 November 2014.