It fails to address the point of inkorrect symbols like: ‘Kg’.

It refers to advice from the Trading Law Department about ‘using an authorised abbreviation’ of the correct SI units on the product’s label.

It says that for shelf edge labels ‘the SI unit abbreviation is also capitalised’ to improve clarity for customers.

As far as I’m aware the International Standards Organisation (ISO) does not authorise the use of abbreviations for SI units.
For SI units symbols should be used not abbreviations.

http://www.simetricmatters.com / Philip Bladon

Earlier this week I noticed on the the label for Tesco Pork Gala Pie (by weight): ‘Items or Kg’ and ‘Price per kg’.

http://www.simetricmatters.com / Philip Bladon

The original blog item was written over a year ago.

Today, during a visit to Tesco’s main store in Redditch, the price labels for potatoes had ‘KG’, ‘Kg’, and ‘kg’.

The Tesco Customer Service Centre has been sent another of their Customer Comments slips, which by the way are rather tatty.

“If employees cannot be relied on to get the metric symbols right, then perhaps they, or their employer, need to consult my book (see http://www.simetricmatters.com) or the style guide(s) produced by various organisations, including UKMA.

Recently the ‘Cross Government Obesity Unit’ produced a document entitled: ‘National Child Measurement Programme Guidance for PCTs: 2008/09′. In this publication it had the inkorrect symbol ‘Kgs’ shown in a Results letter that would be sent out to parents and carers.

After writing to the Government department responsible (the Dept. of Health), I’m not sure if the Minister (Alan Johnson MP) was made aware of this error. However in the reply from the Customer Service Centre I’ve now been told this error will be corrected.

How many more government departments are there where employees don’t know correct metric symbols?

http://www.simetricmatters.com

‘SCOTTISH WHOLE UNDYED KIPPERS’ the label on the counter had the inkorrect symbol ‘Kg’. The label printed out after weighing showed:
‘Items or Kg 0.365 kg’ and ‘Price per kg £3.59′ .

The fishmonger on duty was made aware that the correct symbol is ‘kg’.

SI Metric-Matters
http://www.simetricmatters.com

Southern Electric’s Booklet (# B1009 SE T2 APR 08) also contains inkorrect symbols.

‘KWh’ is NOT the correct symbol for kilowatt-hour.

It is extremely disappointing that a major energy supplier in the United Kingdom provides this wrong information.

http://www.simetricmatters.com (Philip Bladon)

A few years ago I wrote to Hoover’s Head Office in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, pointing out the inkorrect symbol ‘Kg’ on the company’s washing machines.
Today while visiting two stores (Apollo 2000 and Currys), the new Hoover washing machines on display still had the inkorrect symbol on them.

In the company’s brochure, it shows specifications with the correct symbol (‘kg’). The problem is one picture shows a machine with: ’8+5 Kg’, another picture has a machine with: ‘Mega 9kg’.

(Brochure link: http://www.hoover.co.uk/docs/images/brochures/2007/4660%20HOOVER%202.pdf )

Perhaps eventually all Hoover’s products will have correct symbols on them.

http://www.simetricmatters.com

I pointed out to a member of staff that there was an error on the label, she quickly spotted the inkorrect symbol.

Sadly the problem remains, someone at Tesco who is responsible for labelling isn’t aware that the correct symbol is ‘kg’.

http://www.simetricmatters.com

http://www.simetricmatters.com/inkorrect.htm

In data communications, a kilobit per second means exactly 1,000 bits per second (not 1,024), so you’re seeing an error where none exists.

Computer memory is a different matter though – “1GB” is really 1.074GB, and “1GiB” would save any confusion.