It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage the unit pricing of all canned, bottled, and packaged foods, packaged produce, and bakery goods; paper, plastic, wood, and metal products packaged in counts greater than 10; rolled paper, plastic, and metal products; canned, bottled, and packaged domestic, laundry and household cleansing, finishing, waxing, and polishing products; drug and first aid products canned, packaged, or bottled in counts greater than 10; and frozen fruits and vegetables, offered by merchants in their places of business for sale at retail to the public. The Legislature finds that unit pricing, the price per ounce, per pound, per gallon, or the metric equivalent thereof, or per 100 square feet, or per 100 count, for which those items are offered for sale at retail, effectively informs the consumer of the comparative prices and values of commodities, and is thus useful for the formulation of intelligent consumer choices. Reconstituted fluid ounce is the preferred unit of measure for unit pricing of powdered and concentrated infant formula.
Weights and MeasuresUnit Pricing
Section § 12655
This law aims to encourage stores to use unit pricing, which means displaying the price of an item per unit of measure, like per ounce or gallon, on various packaged goods. This helps shoppers easily compare prices and make informed decisions. It specifically targets items like canned and packaged foods, cleaning products, and first aid goods, particularly when these are sold in larger quantities. For powdered and concentrated baby formula, using the reconstituted fluid ounce as the comparison measure is recommended.
unit pricing consumer choices comparison shopping
Section § 12656
This law requires the development of a standard format for showing unit pricing in stores, which includes details like brand, total price, item size, and price per unit. For infant formula, unit prices can be shown based on how much formula is made after mixing.
The department, in cooperation with the retail food industry, shall adopt a standardized format for unit pricing that shall be available to a retailer upon request. The format shall include, but not be limited to, an identification of the item, including the brand name, the total price of the item, the volume, weight, or number of units of which the item is composed, and the price per unit. For infant formula, unit price information may be expressed based on the reconstituted volume.
unit pricing standardized format retail food industry
