STATEMENT OF BASIS- LEGAL AUTHORITY-- Title 35, Article 14, Section 107(o). Colorado Revised Statutes 1973 as amended.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE -- This Packaging and Labeling rule is in compliance with the Measurement Standards Act of 1983 and enables consumers to obtain accurate information as to the quantity of the contents and facilitates value comparisons.
However, if there exists a firmly established general consumer usage and trade custom with respect to the terms used in expressing a declaration of quantity of a particular commodity, such declaration of quantity may be expressed in its traditional terms, if such traditional declaration gives accurate and adequate information as to the quantity of the commodity.
Combination Declaration --
A declaration of quantity shall be:
avoirdupois | Avdp | ounce | Oz |
cubic | Cu | pint | Pt |
feet or foot | Ft | pound | Lb |
fluid | Fl | quart | Qt |
gallon | Gal | square | Sq |
inch | In | weight | Wt |
Liquid | Liq | yard | Yd |
(There normally are no periods following--nor plural forms of--symbols. For example, "oz" is the symbol for both "ounce" and "ounces." Both upper and lower case letters are acceptable.)
A declaration of quantity shall be:
The meter/liter spellings are used in this article. However, the metre/litre spellings are also acceptable.
kilogram | kg | meter | m |
gram | g | centimeter | cm |
milligram | mg | millimeter | mm |
liter | L | square meter | 2 m |
milliliter | mL | square centimeter | 2 cm |
cubic meter | 3 m | cubic centimeter | 3 cm |
Periods should not be used after the symbol. Symbols are always written in singular form- do not add "s" to express the plural when the symbol is used.
When less than 1 meter, 1 square meter, 1 kilogram, or 1 liter -- the declaration of quantity shall be expressed in terms of:
Determination of the principal display panel shall exclude tops, bottoms, flanges at tops and bottoms of cans, and shoulders and necks of bottles or jars.
TABLE 1. Minimum Height of Numbers and Letters
Area of principal display panel | Minimum height of numbers and letters | Minimum height; label information blown, formed, or molded on surface of container |
5 square inches (in2) and less | 1/16 inch | 1/8 inch |
Greater than 5 in2 and not greater than 25 in2 | 1/8 inch | 3/16 inch |
Greater than 25 in2 and not greater than 100 in 2 | 3/16 inch | 1/4 inch |
Greater than 100 in2 and not greater 400 in2 | 1/4 inch | 5/16 inch |
Greater than 400 in2 | 1/2 inch | 9/16 inch |
General - All information required to appear on a non-consumer package shall be definitely and clearly stated thereon in the English language. Any required information that is either in hand lettering or hand script shall be entirely clear and equal to printing in legibility.
Any packages containing individual units of dissimilar commodities (such as an antiquing or a housecleaning kit, for example) shall bear on the label of the package a quantity declaration for each unit (e.g. sponges and cleaner: 2 sponges, each 10 cm x 15 cm x 2 cm. 1 box cleaner, net weight 150g).
Measurement of Container-Type Commodities, How Expressed
Inch-Pound units- in inches, except that a dimension of 2 feet or more will be expressed in feet with any remainder in terms of inches or common or decimal fractions of the foot, or
Metric units- in millimeters or centimeters except a dimension of 1 meter or more will be expressed in meters with the remainder in terms of decimal fractions of the meter.
For Example:
25 Bags, 12.7 cm x 10 cm (5 in x 4 in) or 50 Bags, 75 cm x 1.2 m (2.5 ft x 3.9 ft)
For Example:
25 Bags, 43 cm x 10 cm x 50 cm (17 in x 4 in x 20 in) or
100 Bags, 50.8 cm x 30.4 cm x 76.2 cm (20 in x 12 in x 2.5 ft)
Notwithstanding the above requirements, the net quantity statement for containers such as cups will be listed in terms of count and liquid capacity per unit (e.g. 24 CUPS, 177 mL (6 fl oz) CAPACITY).
Liquid measure for containers which are intended to be used for liquids, semisolids, viscous materials, or mixture of solids and liquids. The expressed capacity will be stated in terms of the largest whole unit (gallon, quart, pint, fluid ounce, with any remainder in terms of the common decimal fraction of that unit) (e.g. Freezer Boxes- 4 BOXES, 946 mL capacity, 15 cm x 15 cm x 10 cm (1 qt capacity, 6 in x 6 in x 4 in)).
Dry measure for containers which are intended to be used for solids the expressed capacity will be stated in terms of the largest whole unit (bushel, peck), with any remainder in terms of the common or decimal fraction of that unit. (e.g. leaf bags- 8 BAGS, 211 L capacity, 1.21 m x 1.52 m (6 bu capacity, 4 ft x 5 ft)).
Where containers are used as liners for other more permanent containers, in the same terms as are normally used to express the capacity of the more permanent containers, (e.g. Garbage Can Liners- 10 LINERS, 76.2 cm x 93,9 cm, fits up to 113 L cans (2 ft 6 in, fits up to 30 gal cans)).
Textile Products, Threads and Yarns
Provided, that
The exemption shall also apply to uniform weight packages of fresh fruit or vegetables labeled by count, in the same manner and by the same type of equipment as random packages exempted by this section and cheese and cheese products labeled in the same manner and by the same type of equipment as random packages exempted by this section.
Those products, including pillows, cushions, comforters, mattress pads, and sleeping bags, that bear a permanent label as designated by the Association of Bedding and Furniture Law Officials or by the California Bureau of Home Furnishings shall be exempt from the requirements for location, size of letters or numbers, free area, and the declarations of identity and responsibility. Provided that declarations of identity, quantity, and responsibility are presented on a permanently attached label and satisfy the other requirements of this rule, and further provided that the information on such permanently attached label be fully observable to the purchaser.
This paragraph shall be construed as requiring that, so long as a shipment, delivery, or lot of packages of a particular commodity remains in the possession or under the control of the packager or the person who introduces the package into intrastate commerce, exposure variations shall not be permitted.
The statements of basis and purpose for some rule changes are no longer in the Department files and are presumably in the state archives.
STAUTORY AUTHORITY:
The Commissioner of Agriculture, is authorized to adopt these permanent rules pursuant to Section 35-14-107(1)(o), and Section 35-14-118, C.R.S.
PURPOSE:
The specific purposes of these rule changes are as follows:
FACTUAL AND POLICY ISSUES:
This revised rule is now updated to reflect the national standard model regulation developed by the National Conference on Weights and Measures, an organization of state regulatory officials and industry stakeholders. This rule now promotes standardization of packaging and labeling of commodities amongst the states. The revised rule, patterned after the national model law, is what packagers nationally must currently comply with in the other states as well.
8 CCR 1202-1-I