15 U.S.C. § 1453 : US Code - Section 1453: Requirements of labeling; placement, form, and contents of statement of quantity; supplemental statement of quantity

Search 15 U.S.C. § 1453 : US Code - Section 1453: Requirements of labeling; placement, form, and contents of statement of quantity; supplemental statement of quantity

(a) Contents of label
No person subject to the prohibition contained in section 1452 of
this title shall distribute or cause to be distributed in commerce
any packaged consumer commodity unless in conformity with
regulations which shall be established by the promulgating
authority pursuant to section 1455 of this title which shall
provide that -
(1) The commodity shall bear a label specifying the identity of
the commodity and the name and place of business of the
manufacturer, packer, or distributor;
(2) The net quantity of contents (in terms of weight or mass,
measure, or numerical count) shall be separately and accurately
stated in a uniform location upon the principal display panel of
that label, using the most appropriate units of both the
customary inch/pound system of measure, as provided in paragraph
(3) of this subsection, and, except as provided in paragraph
(3)(A)(ii) or paragraph (6) of this subsection, the SI metric
system;
(3) The separate label statement of net quantity of contents
appearing upon or affixed to any package -
(A)(i) if on a package labeled in terms of weight, shall be
expressed in pounds, with any remainder in terms of ounces or
common or decimal fractions of the pound; or in the case of
liquid measure, in the largest whole unit (quarts, quarts and
pints, or pints, as appropriate) with any remainder in terms of
fluid ounces or common or decimal fractions of the pint or
quart;
(ii) if on a random package, may be expressed in terms of
pounds and decimal fractions of the pound carried out to not
more than three decimal places and is not required to, but may,
include a statement in terms of the SI metric system carried
out to not more than three decimal places;
(iii) if on a package labeled in terms of linear measure,
shall be expressed in terms of the largest whole unit (yards,
yards and feet, or feet, as appropriate) with any remainder in
terms of inches or common or decimal fractions of the foot or
yard;
(iv) if on a package labeled in terms of measure of area,
shall be expressed in terms of the largest whole square unit
(square yards, square yards and square feet, or square feet, as
appropriate) with any remainder in terms of square inches or
common or decimal fractions of the square foot or square yard;
(B) shall appear in conspicuous and easily legible type in
distinct contrast (by topography, layout, color, embossing, or
molding) with other matter on the package;
(C) shall contain letters or numerals in a type size which
shall be (i) established in relationship to the area of the
principal display panel of the package, and (ii) uniform for
all packages of substantially the same size; and
(D) shall be so placed that the lines of printed matter
included in that statement are generally parallel to the base
on which the package rests as it is designed to be displayed;
and
(4) The label of any package of a consumer commodity which
bears a representation as to the number of servings of such
commodity contained in such package shall bear a statement of the
net quantity (in terms of weight or mass, measure, or numerical
count) of each such serving.
(5) For purposes of paragraph (3)(A)(ii) of this subsection the
term "random package" means a package which is one of a lot,
shipment, or delivery of packages of the same consumer commodity
with varying weights or masses, that is, packages with no fixed
weight or mass pattern.
(6) The requirement of paragraph (2) that the statement of net
quantity of contents include a statement in terms of the SI
metric system shall not apply to foods that are packaged at the
retail store level.
(b) Supplemental statements
No person subject to the prohibition contained in section 1452 of
this title shall distribute or cause to be distributed in commerce
any packaged consumer commodity if any qualifying words or phrases
appear in conjunction with the separate statement of the net
quantity of contents required by subsection (a) of this section,
but nothing in this subsection or in paragraph (2) of subsection
(a) of this section shall prohibit supplemental statements, at
other places on the package, describing in nondeceptive terms the
net quantity of contents: Provided, That such supplemental
statements of net quantity of contents shall not include any term
qualifying a unit of weight or mass, measure, or count that tends
to exaggerate the amount of the commodity contained in the package.