The Weights and Measures Act 1963 (Cheese, Fish, Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Meat and Poultry) Order 1984

Cheese, fish, meat and poultry

4.—(1) This Article applies to food of any of the following descriptions that is to say:—

(a) cheese;

(b) fish, meat or poultry of any description, whether fresh, chilled, frozen, salted, cooked or processed;

(c) sausage-meat in any form, whether cooked or uncooked; and

(d) any article which, though it also contains other food, consists substantially of fish, meat, poultry or sausage-meat,

other than dripping, lard, fish paste, meat paste, poultry paste and shredded suet, and any reference in this Article to poultry includes a reference to any part of any poultry.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (7) to (9) below, any food to which this Article applies which is not pre-packed, shall, if sold by retail, be sold only—

(a) by net weight; or

(b) if it is sold in a container which does not exceed the appropriate permitted weight specified in Table A of Schedule 2 to this Order, either by net weight or by gross weight.

(3) Subject to paragraphs (7) and (8) below, any food (other than cheese and fish) to which this Article applies shall, if sold otherwise than by retail, be sold only—

(a) by net weight; or

(b) if it is sold in a container which does not exceed the appropriate permitted weight specified in Table A of Schedule 2 to this Order, either by net weight or by gross weight.

(4) Subject to paragraph (7) below, any food (other than cheese) to which this Article applies shall be pre-packed only if the container is marked with an indication of quantity by net weight:

Provided that there shall be exempted from the requirements of this paragraph any food in a quantity of less than 5 g.

(5) Subject to paragraph (9) below—

(a) processed cheese;

(b) cheese spread; and

(c) natural cheese of any of the following descriptions, that is to say, Caerphilly, Cheddar, Cheshire, Derby, Double Gloucester, Dunlop, Edam, Gouda, Lancashire, Leicestershire and Wensleydale,

shall be pre-packed only if the container is marked with an indication of quantity by net weight.

(6) On or after 1st January 1986, cheese of any description other than that specified in paragraph (5) above shall be pre-packed only if the container is marked with an indication of quantity by net weight:

Provided that there shall be exempted from the requirements of this paragraph—

(a) whole Stilton cheese;

(b) any cheese in a quantity of less than 25 g and more than 10 kg; and

(c) any cheese sold by gross weight in a container which does not exceed the appropriate permitted weight specified in Table A of Schedule 2 to this Order, if the quantity is made known to the buyer before he pays for or takes possession of the goods.

(7) There shall be exempted from the requirements of paragraphs (2) to (4) of this Article—

(a) bath chaps, meat pies, meat puddings, poultry pies and sausage rolls;

(b) any other goods (other than cheese) in a quantity of less than 5 g.

(8) There shall be exempted from the requirements of paragraphs (2) and (3) of this Article—

(a) cooked poultry;

(b) shellfish in shell, jellied fish, pickled fish and fried fish;

(c) any sale of fish made otherwise than from a market, shop, stall or vehicle;

(d) single cooked sausages in natural casings less than 500 g in weight; and

(e) sausage-meat products other than in sausage form when offered or exposed for sale as a single item in a quantity of less than 500 g.

(9) There shall be exempted from the requirements of paragraphs (2) and (5) of this Article any cheese in a quantity of less than 25 g.