When weight matters: How EnterpriseSG officers ensure shoppers get what they pay for

Bee Cheng Hiang, which specalises in bak kwa – or barbecued pork jerky – said the chain also ensures that measurements are done fairly. Besides maintaining the weighing machine, staff members take extra care to place it on a level surface.

“Every time before we weigh the products, we will check the level built into our scale so that the readings are correct,” said Mr Liew Jiew Chiang, supervisor at the firm’s Bugis Village outlet.

MAKING SURE WEIGHTS ARE ACCURATE

Earlier this month, CNA followed officers from the Weights and Measures Office of Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) to the two stores, which are popular during the Chinese New Year season, for their spot checks on weighing instruments.

The officers checked the accuracy labels of the existing scales, which are valid for a year.  Checks are also carried out at supermarkets, goldsmiths and even Chinese mala hotpot stalls.

While the two stores passed the test, authorities uncovered 280 expired labels and unverified scales at consumer-facing businesses last year – about a 65 per cent increase compared with the year before.

Around 1,200 spot checks are done islandwide every year, for physical shops and online businesses.

Director of the Weights and Measures Office Beatrice Wong attributed the increase to more targeted checks on the ground.

“More targeted checks would mean that, for example, we use data analysis to identify places where the instruments or the accuracy label has already expired, and we would go down and check specifically on those areas,” she told CNA.

Flouting the rules or having expired labels could mean a fine up to S$5,000,  three months’ jail, or both.