Net weights on packages

incisron
incisron Posts: 550 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Packages of food, like fruit or chips, often have the weight or net weight printed on the package, like a two pound bag of apples, a pound of ground chuck, etc. Is this a dependable source of info or do I need a food scale?

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    You don't necessarily need a food scale, but it's a great tool, especially because the weights of packages can come up differently than posted
  • RiverMelSong
    RiverMelSong Posts: 456 Member
    edited December 2015
    I always weigh my food to double check. A while back I bought a sandwich that was (according to the package) 150 grams and 435 calories. When I weighed it at home it turned out to be 183 grams and 531 calories. Almost 100 calories more than the package told me!
  • soapsandropes
    soapsandropes Posts: 269 Member
    The reason to weigh it yourself is two fold. 1) There is a certain amount of variance allowed in packages, over or under the printed weight 2) if you are going to only eat part of a package it is good to know what percentage you are eating.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    It's absolutely NOT dependable. Weigh it yourself. FDA allows a 20% +/- variance so you stand a very good chance of either eating more than you thought or of ripping yourself off. There was one food in particular that I used to eat a lot (Ostrim beef and ostrich pepperoni sticks - can't get them anymore, sadly) that even though it said the serving size and package weight was 42 grams I NEVER ONCE had one that actually weighed 42 grams. They were either careless or just generous, because without fail the actual pepperoni sticks weighed anywhere from 45-60g.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories