Strolling through the fruits and vegetable aisles of an Israeli supermarket in the past month, you may have noticed a scale standing in the aisle that allows the consumer to weigh the produce they are buying. The newly installed scales allow the consumer to know exactly how much their desired purchase will weigh at checkout.

Last month, a new aspect was added to the Consumer Protection law, which mandates that all sellers of large-scale produce being sold by weight, and marketed by weight, have a scale near the produce to allow consumers to know how much their purchase weighs, prior to them arriving at the checkout counter.

The addition to the law states that at least one scale be set up for consumer use in all stores larger than 300 square meters and that the scale must be electronic, similar to the ones used at the checkouts in the aforementioned store.

Any failure to set up the scale or other infraction of this new aspect of the law can cost business owners a fine of some 22,000 NIS.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)