Each day as commerce moves and consumers shop, a lesser-known program housed within the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is out there making sure weights and measures devices being used by retailers are functioning properly. This program works diligently to ensure a fair playing field within Michigan’s economy.

This year, MDARD is celebrating March 1-7, 2022, as Weights and Measures Week in Michigan in conjunction with the National Conference on Weights and Measures. These dates are designated every year to commemorate President John Adams’s signing of the first United States weights and measures law on March 2, 1799.

This year’s theme is “For the Sake of Equity.” The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way consumers shop and how businesses operate to adapt to those changes to stay in business. This means Weights and Measures regulators need to be nimble and adjust to ensure fairness and accuracy in the marketplace.

MDARD’s Weights and Measures program is responsible for everything sold by weight, count, or measure. Inspectors verify everything from the accuracy of gas pumps and grocery scales to the content of the packages that consumers purchase.

Inspectors across the nation, including here in Michigan, 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.

Consumers with concerns about any advertisement, purchase, service, or transaction based on weight, measure, or count may call 1-800-632-3835 to register a complaint.