Retail Price Computing Scales Information » NTEP Legal for Trade

Nutrition Facts To Appear on Labels of Popular Meat and Poultry Products

admin — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 04:09:47 +0000

There will soon be a new rule regarding an integral part of USDA’s efforts to educate consumers about nutrition. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced recently that it will be making important nutritional information readily available to consumers on 40 of the most popular cuts of meat and poultry products. Under a new rule, packages of ground or chopped meat and poultry will feature nutrition facts panels on their labels. Additionally, whole, raw cuts of meat and poultry will also have nutrition facts panels either on their package labels or available for consumers at the point-of-purchase. The nutrition facts panels will include the number of calories and the grams of total fat and saturated fat a product contains. FSIS does not believe that it has underestimated the costs of the final rule. Since the Supplemental Proposed Rule Regulatory Impact Analysis was done, the total costs of labeling may have even decreased because of more cost-effective technology, such as less expensive computerized flexography and scale-label printers. The additional costs of labeling would be relatively low for the affected businesses. One trade association and the food marketing organization asserted that allowing the use of point-of-purchase materials will reduce the financial burden on retailers and benefit consumers. However, others state that FSIS underestimated the cost of providing nutrition labels on ground and chopped products and believe FSIS did not account for the number of retailers that would have to buy new printer or scale systems at the store level. Read the entire summary here.

New And Improved S2000Jr’s

admin — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:06:56 +0000

After listening to your requests, CAS Corporation has added new features to the S2000 Jr Price Computing Scale for 2011 available now at the same low price as always. The new version of S2000 JR’s now available include the following features:

Weigh items in pounds, kilograms, or ounces
36 direct speed keys added to pole models
VFD models now equipped with a rechargeable battery
Optional DEP-50 Receipt Printer now works with S2KJR

Certified Produce Scale

admin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:57:42 +0000

Many times when you think of a certified scale for produce you may think of hanging scales with a dial. While those do still exist, most of today’s sellers are opting to use the digital counter top scale to weigh produce and vegetables for their customers. It really makes sense. The prices are affordable and the scales are well built. Since most either come with rechargeable battery or operate on regular flashlight batteries, it really makes more sense than ever to go with the standard digital produce scale.

Certified Scales

admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:26:33 +0000

Often consumers search for “certified scales” and they get lumped together with legal for trade NTEP Approved scales. Technically, a scale can be NTEP approved legal for trade and not be “certified”. Often times, the proper procedure for obtaining a “certified scale” is to do the following.

1. Buy a NTEP Approved Legal for Trade Scale. In most cases, you do not receive any paperwork saying your scale is “certified”. All you receive is your scale, with the certificate of conformance number (CoC#) stamped on the side of the scale.
2. Have the scale checked and calibrated in your store or at your produce stand, in other words in its final working location — by either a local scale company or the state weights & measures. At this point, in most cases, you receive paperwork showing the test results.
3. Have the state weights & measures come by and “certify” your scale and place their sticker on the scale.

So as you can see, in most cases you can search for and buy “certified scales” but they aren’t quite certified until you do a little homework upon receiving your scale. The reason for this is simple. A scale can be NTEP approved and have a CoC# but that doesn’t mean it is 100 percent accurate. Perhaps the scale was calibrated in a different region of the country and gravity has changed just enough to throw the calibration off. Suppose the delivery company decided to use your scale as a football? That can very easily throw off the calibration of a scale. That is why it is always a good idea to buy your NTEP Approved “certified scale” and get it checked and calibrated locally to ensure you comply with your state regulations.

Commercial Scales for the Farmers Market Can Cost over $400

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:31:24 +0000

Legal for Trade Commercial scales can cost well over $400, but if you do a little research, you won’t pay near that much for a set of high quality farmers market scales. Yes, you could get away with using a set of “household” scales, either hanging or digital, but that is ultimately not the way to establish trust and legitimacy with your customer who is buying produce from you.

Do some research and buy a legal for trade price computing scale that can be certified by the state. In most states it is a requirement. However, sometimes due to budget restraints and manpower, merchants get the idea that they can get away with not purchasing a legal for trade scale. Sometimes every now and then you hear comments from sellers of fruit and vegetables who sell produce at farmers markets, that they don’t worry about bending the rules of the State Weights and Measures Department. The thought process basically being, “we are not a priority for the Department of Agriculture.” Need proof, take a look at the article below

On most summer Saturdays, the Florence-Lauderdale Farmers Market is packed with vendors, but market manager Thurston Harper fears a state crackdown will prevent many farmers from selling at the market. An inspector from the Alabama Department of Agriculture visited the market in late May to test the accuracy of scales farmers use to weigh fruits and vegetables. Harper said the inspector told farmers they must begin using scales certified for commercial use. Read more

Label Printing Scales for sale

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 02:16:27 +0000

The CL5000 Label Printing Scale has the functions you need at an affordable price. Includes CL-Works software package. Use in supermarkets, specialty stores, deli’s and more! For a limited time, earn a $50 gift card for each label printing scale purchased. Contact Central Carolina Scale for more info.

Exciting new addition to the CAS lineup

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:10:47 +0000

The CL5000 Label Printing Scale from CAS Corp. has the functions you need at an affordable price. CAS has long been a leader in retail label printing scales. The latest, CL5000 is great for use in supermarkets, specialty stores, deli’s and more. 3,000 PLU’s & 1,000 Ingredients. CL-Works Software Package included with the scale features PLU Editor – Label Editor – Keypad Editor. Compatible with Microsoft Windows® 2000 / XP / Vista. The CL5000 scale features the CAS dual range 60 lb. max capacity which is almost like having a 30 lb and a 60 lb scale, all in one. Contact Central Carolina Scale for a quote today.

Setting the Auto-Off Feature on the RS-130

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:05:48 +0000

In the past we have gotten quite a few people asking, how difficult is it to set the auto-off feature on the Rice Lake RS-130 price computing scale. So we figured we would show you. Not too bad at all. Please note, work inside scale enclosure is not required to change this feature.

1. Turn on the scale and press and hold the CHANGE key until 6.3 (version) shows in the WEIGHT display (approximately three seconds).
2. Press and hold the ZERO key until the WEIGHT display shows SEtUP (approx. three seconds).
3. Press the 3 key, WEIGHT display shows USUAL.
4. Press the 2 key to enter the Auto-Off mode. WEIGHT display shows -30- (minutes).
5. Use the CLEAR key to select -30-, -15-, -5-,-OFF-.
6. Press the CHANGE key to confirm setting.
Scale will automatically restart and you’ve now changed your auto-off function. Remember this is for the RS130 scale.

Now is the Time to Check Out and Fix Up Your Scale

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:21:15 +0000

This month is a great time to take out your old faithful price computing scale and give it a good work out. Plug it in and make sure it powers up and charges if it has a battery. It might even be a good idea to order a spare battery to prepare for the spring. Make sure all the buttons on the keypad work. This is especially important if you type in prices per pound using the number keys. Make sure the displays work on both front and back so that you and your customer are not “in the dark”.

Finally, take a look at the selection of price computing scales currently available this winter. You may find a deal too good to pass on. Plus, you can always use a good backup unit or add a second scale to your produce stand so that your customers are able to purchase produce from you as fast as ever.

Capacity and Readability

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:22:42 +0000

What capacity do I need? My old scale had a 30 lb capacity, do I need a 30 lb capacity on my new model? What does the 0.01 lb mean?

These are just a few of the questions that folks ask when purchasing a retail price computing scale. Basically, the easiest thing to do is determine what is the typical weight amount you are going to be weighing. For most people that amount usually falls well below 30 pounds. However, there are times when you may need a larger capacity like 60 pounds. When that happens, it’s great to have a scale like the CAS S2000 JR price computing scale. The 60 lb model features a 60 lb max capacity with 0.02 lb readability. However, this same scale also features the same readability up to 30 lbs that a typical retail scale with 30 lb. capacity would have, 0.01 lbs. So, you get the best of both worlds in one scale.