Workshop on laying down rules on nominal quantities for prepacked products. Organised of European Commission – TAIEX – In co-operation with Serbian Chamber of Commerce June

Aim of the meeting The aim of this event is to introduce the responsibilities of the industries/prepackers regarding the Directives 2007/45/EC & 76/211/EEC. At the same time will be introduced the responsibilities of the individual Member State – at the same time covering responsibilities to those countries having actual agreements with EC.

Packers and importers obligations to comply with Directice 76/211/EEC and Directive 2007/45/EC Technical characteristics for putting the e-mark on the prepacked products and metrological preconditions for quantities of prepacked products. Acceptable variations in quantities marked on the prepackage (practical examples). Prepacked products control charts (negative variations in quantity, maximum allowed percentage of variations in prepackages – based on the actual nomimal content)

Packers and importers obligations to comply with the Directive 76/211/EEC and Directive 2007/45/EC The Directives are voluntary – so no producers of prepackages are forced to comply with the Directives and to use the e-mark. Packers and importers, who want to use the e- mark, must comply with the actual mentioned directives.

Technical characteristics for putting the e-mark on prepacked products ”The three rules for prepacked products”: The actual contents shall not be less, on average, than the nominal quantity. The proportion of prepackages having a negative error greater than the tolerable negative error laid down in 2.4, Annex I (the tabel) shall be sufficiently small for batches of prepackages to satisfy the requirements of the tests specified in Annex II. No prepackage having a negative error greater than twice the tolerable negative error given in the table in 2.4, Annex I may bear the e-mark as referred to in 3.3, Annex I.

Technical characteristics for putting the e-mark on prepacked products. The prepacked products (with constant nominal quantities) – intended for sale - which can bear the e- mark, are limited to: 1) Equal to values predetermined by the packer. 2) expressed in units of weight or volume. 3) Not less than 5 g or 5 ml and not more than 10 kg or 10 l.

Technical characteristics for putting the e-mark on the prepacked products. According to the statistical tests mentioned as the reference method in the Directives (or if another method giving the same quarantees is chosen), it is assumed the data achieved - doing the samling and measurements nescessary – are forming a socalled normal or log normal distribution. Can be checked either through graphically presentation or by performing supplemantary stastitical tests – for instans by using the socalled chi square test.

Technical characteristics for putting the e-mark on the prepacked products Criteria for acceptance or rejection of results after performing the tests mentioned as the reference method: By using non-destructive testing: Number in batchNumber in sampleAcceptanceRejection 100 to 500 (inclusive) 30 ӯ ≥ Qn-0.503s ӯ < Qn-0.503s ˃ ӯ ≥ Qn-0.379s ӯ < Qn-0.379s

Technical characteristics for putting the e- mark on the prepackaged products – Criteria for destructive testing Number in batchNumber in sampleAcceptanceRejection ≥ ӯ ≥ Qn-0.640s ӯ < Qn-0.640s

Technical characteristics for putting the e-mark on the prepacked products Prepackages which may bear the e-sign are those which comply with the actual directives (76/211/EEC and 2007/45/EC). They shall be subject to metrological control under the conditions defined in Annex I, section 5 and in Annex II. Annex I, section 5: checks have to be carried out by the competent department on the premises of the packer or of the importer - or of his agent established in the community. Checks have to be carried out by sampling.

Responsibilities of the packer or of the importer Responsible to ensure, that their prepakages are meeting the requirements.

Responsibilities of the Member State The individual Member State has the responsibility to ensure, that producers and importers of prepacked products (e-marked) in their country are meeting the requirements. Checks to be carried out must be based on legal measuring instruments. The check may be carried out by sampling. In the case of imports from non-EC countries the importer may instead of measuring and checking provide evidence, that he is in possession of all the nescessary guaranties enabling him to assume responsibility.

Example showing the result of performance of reference test Results from weighing on typeapproved and verified weight. 30 prepackages (g): 985,0 – 1009,0 – 986,0 – 976,0 – 988, ,0 – 985,0 – 990,0 – 1002,0 – 986, ,0 – 985,0 – 987,0 – 993,0 – 1024, ,0 – 985,0 – 1008,0 – 1015,0 – 989, ,0 – 986,0 – 995,0 – 988,0 – 987, ,0 – 985,0 – 990,0 – 988,0 – 986,0

Example showing the result from performing the reference test. The nominal value on the prepackage was = 1000 g The average in the prepackages is = ӯ = The standard deviation is = s = Using the rejection criteria - if ӯ < 1000 (Qn) – 5.90 (0.503s = x = 5.90) = then the batch should be rejected. As the average value of the 30 samples is higher (or the same) as the calculated rejection value, the batch was approved.

Chi-square test Because of the achieved results from the performance of the reference test, the data distribution was controlled using the socalled chi-square-test and graphical evaluation. The result of the performance of the chi- square-test was, that the results did not actually form a normal (Gauss) distribution.

Graphical presentation of the weighing results in selected groups