AIBU to think that producers should have to declare a 'usable volume' on liquid products?

[Lougle]

DH complains that when he's serving soup, the container says it's, for example, 600g, but he puts 300g in the first bowl then there's only 260g for the other bowl.

Today I decided to push this as far as I could. Covent Garden Pumpkin soup. 560g. Now, it's a Tetra Pak, so tricky to get it all. I poured it out and shook it as much as I could. 520g. So I cut it open and used a spatula to scrape it all out. 553g

Technically, I suppose, we're close to 560g. But nobody who has this soup is going to do what I did and actually get 560g out of it.

I think producers should have to declare the usable mass under standard conditions (pour it out, perhaps give it a few shakes and a tap).

I don't think they should have to take account of the wastage that comes from pouring it into a pan and heating it, or what might get left behind in the bowl if you aren't a bread wiper. That would be silly.

But then, the other part of me thinks that producers don't have to account for the stalks on grapes, or the skin on onions... it's a minefield. I guess that's why we see people snapping the stalk off a broccoli before weighing it, which is probably why a lot of broccoli is wrapped in plastic these days.

Helmanns now sell their mayo in squeeze bottles, which are guaranteed to mean that you can't get at all the mayo.
The storing upside down method doesn't work as it isn't liquid.
I find it really annoying and i'm glad you started the thread op

I know nothing at all about these things, other than how metric measures relate to each other, but are you sure you can measure volume accurately by putting it on weighing scales? It would be better to use a measuring jug.

I think the volume = weight link the scales are using only works for water. The definitions of metric measures are interrelated but are based around water.
A litre of water has a mass of 1 kg, approximately, when measured at its maximum density. See Wikipedia for more.

However.

As soup is more dense than water your scales should tell you that it’s more than you’d expect, not less. I’ve checked with DH, who is normally very good at this sort of thing, and he agrees.

Yes, mayo in squeeze bottles makes my blood boil 😂

But the weight on the carton is a weight, not a volume. It says 560g. A gram is a gram is a gram, doesn’t matter if it’s soup or water or lead!

I would always rinse out the carton too.

And with tons of tomatoes etc - you rinse with water.

I'm Scottish and so cut open bottles of cosmetics to get the last bit out was standard and obviously we rinsed out all food cartons. Married DH ( who grew up with a rich new world mother so no rationing hangover) and took years of convincing that he should rinse out tomato tins.

FWIW I don't think inaccessible containers are deliberate, the manufacturer still has to put the same amount in so there's not much gain to them by having pissed off customers that can see what they haven't used. Shrinkflation is more effective.

agree that it can be difficult to get all content out. really annoys me with hand creme tubes that are almost still half full when you have to apply an insane amount if pressure to get more out.

[the e symbol indicates that the content is not exactly as printed, there is a tolerance of +- a small percentage]

I was coming on with this exact example! It's so wasteful of them to design it this way. I have been known to chop the bottle in half to get the last bit out, but it's really messy and awkward to do.

Exactly this
You pour two bowls and you say that looks about right

Apologies! I thought it said 560ml.

edit - that explains why nobody had made the same point earlier.

Yes to the moan about toiletries. I cannot get rest of foundation out but can very clearly see there is still couple of weeks worth!

I have been known to chop the bottle in half to get the last bit out, but it's really messy and awkward to do.
Thanks for that, i'm going to try it.
We do it with toothpaste

I just pour “some” into each bowl based on what looks right. Why would I care if everyone gets exactly the same amount? If my DH gets 16 grams more of the soup than I do, I can live with that.

I only know two people who weigh food in the pedantic way you describe - one is diabetic, the other is anorexic.

the only people I know who weigh/measure food are parents of ultra competitive twins.

who knew that frankfurters from the same pack vary a couple of mm in length 😂

I don't quite understand having to give exactly equal portions. For soup portions, and most other food, I always give dh a bit more than me. After all he is 6ft 2, I am almost a foot shorter than him so need less calories than him. They say, as an average, a man needs 2,500 cals a day and a woman 2,000.

You're talking about weight not volume. The weight of a food includes the packaging.

I’m pretty sure it doesn’t. It’s the net weight.

YANBU OP, IMO.

Does anyone else use OGX hair products? The stuff is lovely, but the products are really thick so it's hard to get out even when full. The bottles are really solid, so really difficult to squeeze, and the lids are domed so you can't stand them upside down.

Because I am my mother's daughter, I will actually take a bread knife to a plastic product bottle to get at the last bit, but these OGX bottles are so solid it's impossible.... almost. There's at least two more washes hiding in there!

It definitely doesn't.