30
When food is sold by weight, it must be accurately weighed and
labeled with certain specific data whose requirements may change
according to jurisdiction.
The minimum requirements for a By
Weight PLU label are:
product name, price-per-pound, net weight,
total price, and a packed on date. The net weight must be verifiable by
an accurate scale.
When food is sold by count (or volume), it must be accurately labeled
with certain specific data whose requirements may change according
to jurisdiction.
The minimum requirements for a By Count PLU
label are:
product name, price-per-piece, net weight statement, total
price, and a packed on date. The price-per-piece is usually expressed
in the format “Q for P”: Q is a piece count and must be greater than
zero; P is a price and must be greater than or equal to zero. An
example of a price-per-piece is “1 for $3.49”. The net weight statement
is an estimate of the weight of the contents in the labeled package and
must be in the format “O (lb/oz)” where O is the weight in ounces and
(lb/oz) is the weight in pound and ounces. This weight is only an
estimate and so long as it is slightly less than what the package
weighs, you will be in compliance with the regulations.
A common misconception is that you can simply price something, let’s
say “fixed price”, and then sell it like that. The reality is that this is true
for non-food items; however, food must be sold either by weight or by
count. Even non-scaled food items that seem to be “fixed price” and
can be purchased in a supermarket are in fact sold by count. For
example, a can of soup has a net weight statement on the package
and when you buy it, the ECR/POS receipt will have a quantity (pieces)
and a price. Another example is canned or bottled soda. These items
are sold by volume, have a “net volume statement” and when you buy
it the ECR/POS receipt will have a quantity (pieces) and a price.
Additionally, if you were to measure the volume (or net weight) of the
contents you would find that you are getting a slightly larger amount
than stated on the package.
Now you are ready to program PLUs on the LS-100!
