Metrology and quality of prepackaged product batches: Understanding the DGCCRF guide - Erelia

According to the Comité Français des Industries du Pesage (CoFIP), a prepackaged is “a product […] packaged, outside the presence of the purchaser, in packaging of any kind, covering it totally or partially in such a way that the quantity of product contained cannot be altered without opening or detectable alteration of the packaging, or detectable alteration of the product”.

Pre-packaged products can be of varying weights variable or fixed. They are found in a wide range of industries, including chemical (household products, fertilizers, etc.), cosmetics cosmetics (creams, perfumes, etc.), the food industry (meats, vegetables, dairy products, etc.), pharmaceutical pharmaceutical industry (medicines, etc.), as well as various industries such as construction (bags of cement, lime, etc.).

Pre-packaged products are subject to stringent regulations, which are sometimes difficult to understand. This regulation is based on theGuide des bonnes pratiques concernant les modalités du contrôle métrologique interne à réaliser par les emplisseurs et importateurs de produit préemballés“published by the Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes (DGCCRF).

In this article, we’ll look at how to ensure regulatory compliance with the DGCCRF guide for pre-packaged products.

What regulations apply to pre-packaged products?

The following regulatory texts will provide the regulatory framework for the packaging and metrology aspects of pre-packaged products:

Directive no. 76/211 of January 20, 1976 on the making-up by weight or by volume of certain prepackaged products
Modified decree no. 78-166 of January 31, 1978 on metrological control of certain prepackages
Modified decree of October 20, 1978 implementing the decree of 01/31/1978
WELMEC guides (6.4, 6.5 and 6.11)
Norme AFNOR XF X06-030 (Guide pour la mise en place de la Maîtrise Statistique des Processus)
AFNOR NF X06-031-1 standard and ISO 7870-2 and ISO 8258 standards on measurement control cards

What are the metrology challenges and how can batches be conformed to avoid non-quality in pre-packaged products?

The main challenges in ensuring that batches comply with regulations lie in the correct use of metrology and control. In this way, the instruments used must ensure batch conformity and produce exploitable statistics to avoid non-conformities

Metrology covers all measurement and interpretation techniques used to guarantee data accuracy. In an industrial context, this requires a high degree of traceability in order to control manufacturing processes.

For pre-packaged products, two main criteria are taken into account :

The average weight of the products in the batch must be greater than or equal to the nominal weight.
The batch must contain less than 2% of defective batches. A batch is considered defective when the contents are less than the advertised nominal quantity.

Obtaining the European “e” mark relates to Directive n°76/211 of January 20, 1976 on the making-up by weight or by volume of certain prepackaged products. This marking is not compulsory, but it is a guarantee of superior quality for the end customer. This concerns only prepackaged goods between 5g and 10kg.

To help you obtain the mark, two types of inspection are to be carried out as part of metrology activities:

Continuous controls

Sample testing in accordance with AFNOR standard NF X06-031-1

Do you have a project to digitize and exploit the data from your measuring instruments? (Scales, checkweighers, pH meters, etc.). ERELIA, a subsidiary of the BASSETTI group, has been specializing in prepackaged product metrology for over 30 years. You can get in touch with usOur experts will be happy to meet your needs.

Find out more about the DGCCRF guide: