- Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation
Price Accuracy, Weights and Measures
The Division of Standards (DOS) at the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation protects consumers by enforcing pricing accuracy and unit pricing laws, ensuring that consumers receive the correct value for what they purchase. DOS also enforces standards relating to weighing and measuring devices and their use in the sale of food, fuels, and other products. DOS inspectors provide weights and measure services for more than 160 of the Commonwealth’s municipalities, and the Division partners with city and town inspectors, known as sealers, in the remaining municipalities.
One test that DOS inspectors perform is to check the net weight of packaged products, such as meat, poultry, and fish, to ensure that the net weight posted on the package and in the store is accurate. “Consumers should only be paying for the food they’re receiving,” explains Dave Rodrigues, DOS Commissioner. “For example, when paying for ham, consumers should be paying for ham only, not the glaze or packaging,” adds Mark Merante, Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel at DOS.
Holiday and Celebratory Foods Spring Initiative
Since the beginning of 2025, DOS has been inspecting stores across the Commonwealth to make sure that celebratory foods for the spring holidays meet net weight requirements. In anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Passover, the Division’s team of inspectors conducted net weight package inspections at nearly 150 stores in Massachusetts, between January 8, 2025 and April 7, 2025. During these inspections, 990 individually packaged products, including a wide range of meat, poultry, and fish products, as well as some other non-meat products were inspected. Among the inspected products were 16 brisket products, 18 lamb products, 24 corn beef products, and 56 ham products, all foods that are very popular for Spring holidays.
Inspectors found that 5.75% of the products tested were out of compliance due to inaccurate net weight content listed on the packaging. In most cases, this involved the retailer failing to correctly account for the weight of packaging, as well as ancillary items such as ham glaze packets and brushes. Out of all the stores that were inspected, 24.2% had at least one product that displayed incorrect net weight. Items found with a discrepancy were off by an average of $.24/lb.
When a discrepancy is found, the DOS usually issues a written warning to the retailer and meets with store staff and managers to identify the source of the errors and establish a correction plan. These stores will be revisited in the coming weeks to check compliance. “Thanks to the work of our compliance officers, consumers can be confident that they are getting what they pay for when celebrating this spring,” says Rodrigues. “For retailers, regardless of the inspection outcome, we always focus on and reminding stores of best practices for pricing and weighing products to ensure accuracy and equity in the marketplace.”
Think you were overcharged? Contact DOS.
If you think there is a discrepancy in the price you paid for a product, contact DOS. Keep in mind that DOS and municipal inspectors have specific methods to conduct net weight content inspections and follow specific procedures, rules, and conditions. Conducting your own weight tests is not recommended as the information will not meet DOS standards for accuracy.
Contact the DOS Consumer Services Unit at (617) 727-3480, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM or email standards.mail@mass.gov.
