Net content limits

You can specify the package requirement values for each measure.

Label Stated Content (LSC)

The label stated content (LSC) is the official declaration of the amount of food contained within a package. Also referred to as the "net quantity of contents". The LSC must be expressed in weight, measure, or count. Usually, if the food is solid, semisolid or viscous, it should be expressed in terms of weight. If the food is a liquid it should be expressed in fluid measure.

MAV

The Maximum Allowable Variation is the maximum amount that the net contents of a single package can be underweight relative to the label stated content. According to the U.S. by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 133, the sample of packages must meet the following two conditions to pass inspection.

The average net contents of all packages in a sample must equal or exceed the labeled net quantity.
No individual package is allowed to be less than the MAV. Some large sampling plans may allow one package to exceed the MAV.

Example of MAV

Suppose a coffee company sells ground coffee labeled “Net Wt. 454 g (16 oz)”. This value is the LSC. From the handbook, the MAV for a LSC of 454 is 9g. That means a package may weigh as little as 454 − 9 = 445 g before it fails individually.

An inspector selects a sample of 12 packages from a production lot and weighs each to check compliance. The weights (in grams) from lowest to highest are: 452, 453, 453, 454, 454, 454, 455, 455, 455, 456, 456, 457.

The average (454.5 g) is greater than the labeled net weight (454 g). Condition 1 is satisfied.
Because 452 g is greater than 445 g, no package exceeds the MAV. Condition 2 is satisfied.

Some producers define an upper MAV (UMAV) in addition to the lower MAV (LMAV), which is the standard MAV defined in regulations.

Lower maximum allowable variation (LMAV) is the minimum acceptable net weight for an individual package. If a package contents is less than the LMAV, it is considered an unacceptable "minus error".
Upper maximum allowable variation (UMAV) is the maximum net weight set by manufacturers to prevent overfilling of packages.

Lower T1 and Lower T2

Lower Tolerable 1 Error (Lower T1) and Lower Tolerable 2 Error (Lower T2) are tolerance thresholds related to the tolerable negative error (TNE). These values work together.

Lower T1 is the maximum permissible negative error for an individual package. T1 is equal to one times the TNE. A certain percentage of packages within a batch are permitted to have a net content that falls between the T1 and T2. This allowance is typically no more than 2.5% of the total batch.
Lower T2 is the stricter threshold set at twice the TNE. No individual package is permitted to have a net content that is less than the T2 limit.

Upper T1 and Upper T2

Upper Tolerable 1 Error (Upper T1) and Upper Tolerable 2 Error (Upper T2) are tolerance thresholds related to the tolerable positive error (TPE). These values work together.

Upper T1 is the maximum permissible positive (overfilling) error for an individual package.
Upper T2 is the stricter threshold for overfilling errors.

Lower action limit (LAL) and Upper action limit (UAL)

Optional values that indicate an early warning sign to take action on the process. Usually, the LAL is greater than the LMAV, and the UAL is less than the UMAV.

For more information on setting net content requirements, go to Specify specifications and other limits for each measure.