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Consumer Protection Services
Hunterdon's Weights And Measures Unit Provides Vital Consumer Protection Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: October 21, 2019
Contact: Susan Soloway, Freeholder
Find out what's happening in Flemingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Hunterdon’s Weights and Measures Unit
Find out what's happening in Flemingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Provides Vital Consumer Protection Services
Inspecting over 1500 measuring devices throughout Hunterdon County in the past year, the County’s Superintendent of Weights and Measures provides a little known, but very important, consumer protection service for residents, Freeholder Sue Soloway reported at the October 15th Freeholder meeting.
Freeholder Soloway, the Board’s liaison to the Health Department that includes the Weights and Measures Division, reported, “The mission of this consumer protection service is to ensure weighing and measuring devices throughout the County are tested for accuracy. Whenever you fill up your gas tank, make purchases at the deli counter or inflate your tires with air, all residents should be able to trust that the measurement is accurate.”
Millard Rooks, the County’s state licensed Superintendent of Weights and Measures, has conducted inspections in 429 businesses 1,567 devices throughout Hunterdon County to date this year. Inspected devices include: scales, timing devices, vacuum timers, fuel oil meters, pill counters, coin counters, length measuring devices and gas pumps, as well as price verification audits.
Soloway noted, “The program is protective for both our resident consumers and business owners.”
One of the key consumer protection tests is the commodities audit, where the Superintendent investigates if a grocery store or other retailer is charging the accurate price for packages being sold by weight or count.
Packages are randomly weighed, incorrect items are removed, and fines are assessed for packages that do not meet the declared weight or count.
“So far this year, Mr. Rooks has conducted 331 Commodity Audits and 120 inspections of price scanning devices. Most of us as shoppers simply assume the package weight is correct. Mr. Rooks’ job is to ensure they we can shop with that confidence,” Soloway said.
For more information about the Division of Weights and Measures, please copy and paste the link below into your browser: http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/health/environmental/weightsandmeasures.html
