Many Supermarket Scales and Water Meters Fail to Meet Standards and Performance Requirements

Corrective Measures Initiated After Non-Compliance with Type Approval Confirmed
Investigation to Be Expanded to Include Precision Scales for Goldsmiths

The government has found that some supermarket scales and water meters currently distributed in the market do not meet type approval standards. The authorities have begun corrective actions for these products and plan to expand the investigation to include precision scales used in goldsmiths, among other items.

The National Institute of Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on May 13 that it conducted a market survey on a total of 14 products—including four supermarket scales and ten industrial water meters sold last year—and found that three scales and one water meter failed to comply with the type approval standards.

Type approval is a system that tests the structure and performance of a product before it is released to the market to determine whether it is suitable as a legal measuring instrument. Products that have received type approval must maintain the same structure and performance even after being released to the market.

The National Institute of Technology and Standards manages 13 types of measuring instruments, including scales, as legal measuring instruments in order to protect consumer rights and ensure fairness in commercial transactions. Since 2014, it has conducted annual market surveys of these products.

For the products that failed the standards in this survey, the authorities have requested corrective actions from the manufacturers and importers. The companies concerned are expected to voluntarily establish and implement corrective action plans, and the National Institute of Technology and Standards will review the validity and implementation of these plans.

If manufacturers and others fail to correct the product defects, the authorities plan to order product recalls and make public announcements of the violations.

This year, the National Institute of Technology and Standards plans to expand the scope of its investigation to include six additional categories: precision scales for goldsmiths, calorimeters, electric energy meters, gas meters, water meters, and weights. The agency noted that the recent rise in gold prices has heightened the risk of consumer losses due to measurement errors in precision scales.

Kim Daeja, Director of the National Institute of Technology and Standards, stated, "Accurate measurement is the foundation of fair trade and the starting point for public trust. We will continue to expand market surveys to establish an environment where people can use measuring instruments with peace of mind."