SIGforum
Weight of Ground Beef at the supermarket (?)
April 01, 2017, 08:16 PM
braillediverWeight of Ground Beef at the supermarket (?)
A nickel weighs 5 grams. A reasonable check of accuracy.
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The butcher with the sharpest knife has the warmest heart.
April 01, 2017, 08:48 PM
maladatquote:
Originally posted by Hobbs:
Bottom line is my digital kitchen scales are close but admittedly not calibrated. SOooo ... I could see being off a couple of grams MAYBE if even. BUT not 5/8 ounce on the pound.
That's only a 4% error. A lot of kitchen scales available today are super low cost made in China garbage. I wouldn't be especially surprised to see a 4% error on one of them. (Not based on actual testing or anything, just my general experience with cheap Chinese electronic and mechanical products.)
Good scales are expensive for a reason.
April 01, 2017, 09:02 PM
686OwnerWeights and measures was always taken very seriously at the chain store I worked at. Any violation would be the store manager's ass.
I think it's most likely that your kitchen scale is off.
April 01, 2017, 09:10 PM
DSgrousewhole foods was sued a few years ago for not taking off the weight of the plastic salad containers.
As for the weight difference, moisture loss is probably a huge part of it.
April 01, 2017, 09:18 PM
bendableI pointing the finger at pilot error.
I will let the four "Kids"s wait on other people and wait for the guys that I know will do it right
Safety, Situational Awareness and proficiency.
Neck Ties, Hats and ammo brass, Never ,ever touch'em w/o asking first
April 01, 2017, 09:36 PM
exx1976That would irritate me.
However, I can also say that I've not thought to measure the stuff once bringing it home from the grocery.
If it's that big of a deal, buy direct from the butcher counter where you can watch it being weighed, and have them wrap it in butcher paper like previously suggested.
April 01, 2017, 10:43 PM
jimmy123xquote:
Originally posted by braillediver:
A nickel weighs 5 grams. A reasonable check of accuracy.
Well if he makes 3 burgers and puts a nickel inside of each one, they'll all be 1/3lb burgers!
heheheeh
April 01, 2017, 11:33 PM
grumpy1quote:
Originally posted by Hobbs:
Does the weight include packaging too?
Today I bought a package of ground round that was labeled as 1.00 lbs. I weighed it on my kitchen digital scales and it came up to 438 grams vs 454 grams. In ounce mode on the digital scales it came up to 15 3/8 ounces vs 16 ounces for a pound.
So not only is the weight well under labeling but apparently the styrofoam and wrap was included. It might not seem like much but I've shopped there for 11 years and known of this discrepancy most of those years. It adds up and it isn't fair.
Are supermarket scales state regulated or is there some local entity responsible for accuracy?
Next time weight it with the packaging first, then without the packaging, and then the packaging. You should have your answer. Keep in mind though, as Jimmmy123x mentioned, any "juices" that may have separated from the meat are considered part of the product itself. This all assumes your scale is accurate. You should be able to buy calibration test weights on Amazon or use any other non perishable item that you know what that exact weight is.
BTW I just checked out our cheap Taylor digital scale. I bought some Swiss cheese at deli yesterday. On my scale it weighed 258 grams with packaging and 250 without. Store label showed it to be 252 grams for product. So I have discrepancy of 2 grams, about .8 % of total weight, that I attribute to probable inaccuracy of my scale but not enough for me to worry about.
April 02, 2017, 12:56 AM
HobbsMy digital kitchen scale is a Salter model 3001 (measures up to 5 lbs). Not Chinese crap. Model is no longer available. I've had it a good number of years. Salter has been around doing scales since about 1760 and my scale is (VERY) accurate but not calibrated and only accurate to the nearest gram. In fact, I looked at the stickers on the back to see if accuracy data was listed and it was not. There was a "Not Legal For Trade" notice though, which I think all home scales have regardless of accuracy.
To try and answer some of the questions, yes I weighted the whole package (beef, tray and wrap) and it was 5/8th ounce under what the 1.00lb label on the ground round showed. These is no absorbent pad in packages of ground beef. I speculate that evaporation would not account for the underweight in fresh ground beef. The plastic wrap is pretty tight around the product too.
Guess I'll just have to check it out with the manager and their scales at checkout next time. I'll be sure to also select something else that isn't from the meat department, to compare weights at the cashiers scale. A loaf of bread perhaps. That too is clearly marked in ounces and grams.
April 02, 2017, 01:17 AM
JimineerMy wife asked me to pickup 2 lbs of ground beef tonight. I bought three 1 lb packages instead. The amount of ground beef in each package seemed so skimpy and it sure didn't "feel right". I didn't weigh them but I may tomorrow.
April 02, 2017, 01:32 AM
Texas Bob C.You bet the scales at your supermarket are regulated by the state.
April 02, 2017, 01:47 AM
WingedMedicI would check your scale first. However, some stores (Whole Foods for example) have been caught over the years misrepresenting the weights of their food.
I would first check your scale, then go to your state's department of weights and measures (as others have suggested).
April 02, 2017, 02:12 AM
jimmy123xquote:
Originally posted by Hobbs:
My digital kitchen scale is a Salter model 3001 (measures up to 5 lbs). Not Chinese crap. Model is no longer available. I've had it a good number of years. Salter has been around doing scales since about 1760 and my scale is (VERY) accurate but not calibrated and only accurate to the nearest gram. In fact, I looked at the stickers on the back to see if accuracy data was listed and it was not. There was a "Not Legal For Trade" notice though, which I think all home scales have regardless of accuracy.
To try and answer some of the questions, yes I weighted the whole package (beef, tray and wrap) and it was 5/8th ounce under what the 1.00lb label on the ground round showed. These is no absorbent pad in packages of ground beef. I speculate that evaporation would not account for the underweight in fresh ground beef. The plastic wrap is pretty tight around the product too.
Guess I'll just have to check it out with the manager and their scales at checkout next time. I'll be sure to also select something else that isn't from the meat department, to compare weights at the cashiers scale. A loaf of bread perhaps. That too is clearly marked in ounces and grams.
If your scale is decades old and has never been calibrated, it is most likely your scale.
April 02, 2017, 02:47 AM
Hobbsquote:
Originally posted by jimmy123x:
quote:
Originally posted by Hobbs:
My digital kitchen scale is a Salter model 3001 (measures up to 5 lbs). Not Chinese crap. Model is no longer available. I've had it a good number of years. Salter has been around doing scales since about 1760 and my scale is (VERY) accurate but not calibrated and only accurate to the nearest gram. In fact, I looked at the stickers on the back to see if accuracy data was listed and it was not. There was a "Not Legal For Trade" notice though, which I think all home scales have regardless of accuracy.
To try and answer some of the questions, yes I weighted the whole package (beef, tray and wrap) and it was 5/8th ounce under what the 1.00lb label on the ground round showed. These is no absorbent pad in packages of ground beef. I speculate that evaporation would not account for the underweight in fresh ground beef. The plastic wrap is pretty tight around the product too.
Guess I'll just have to check it out with the manager and their scales at checkout next time. I'll be sure to also select something else that isn't from the meat department, to compare weights at the cashiers scale. A loaf of bread perhaps. That too is clearly marked in ounces and grams.
If your scale is decades old and has never been calibrated, it is most likely your scale.
If so, I would be shocked. SHOCKED !!! Because you know what that would mean? ... the dang scales are haunted. HAUNTED !!! ... they would apparently know the difference between ground beef and everything else I use and weigh and only display less weight for the dang ground beef. Ya follow?
EDIT: A new penny (after mid-1982) weighs exactly 2.5 grams. Here's my 2 cents. Do the math ...
April 02, 2017, 03:12 AM
Texas Bob C.I don't see a state certification sticker on your scale. Put a certified 1/2 pound and 1 pound weight on your scale and see what it says.
April 02, 2017, 03:19 AM
Hobbsquote:
Originally posted by Texas Bob C.:
I don't see a state certification sticker on your scale. Put a certified 1/2 pound and 1 pound weight on your scale and see what it says.
Would you be shocked if found that it's accurate to the nearest gram as I previously stated? Seems like you might be. I can visualize that LOL
Just for the sake of discussion, it MIGHT be a gram or two off ... but not 5/8th ounce on the pound. No.Way.No.How
April 02, 2017, 03:53 AM
Hobbsquote:
Originally posted by Texas Bob C.:
I don't see a state certification sticker on your scale. Put a certified 1/2 pound and 1 pound weight on your scale and see what it says.
I also have a Portable Milligram Scale that includes a 10 gram calibration weight. I use this scale to weigh out my dogs monthly meds. As you can see, my Salter kitchen scales show exactly 10 grams for the calibration weight. Again, it's only accurate to the nearest gram, not tenth or hundredths of a gram. Also like I said, with a pound on it, it MIGHT be a gram or two off, but I'd have to see it to believe it. I trust the digital Salter scale I have. It's pretty dang accurate ... well, not 5/8th ounce off for a pound of ground beef and packaging.
April 02, 2017, 04:06 AM
Hobbs... found another 10 gram calibration weight. 10 x 2 = 20 all.day.long
April 02, 2017, 04:16 AM
HobbsAND ... two 10 gram calibration weights AND two pennies. 10+10+2.5+2.5 = 25 all.day.long
April 02, 2017, 06:21 AM
MooneyP226Excellent! You have shown your scale to be within its margin of error, so the next step I would take would be to ask them to throw the next package back on their scale. If it reads more than the labelled weight, then it was tared, and the package weight is not being included in what you pay.
If it comes out equal to what the package is labelled, ask for a manager and explain the issue. It COULD be a training issue with a new guy- or it could be intentional. How it is addressed by the manager would determine my next course of action.
Clarior Hinc Honos
BSA Dad, Cheer Dad