China's SAMR seizes 8,544 faulty electronic scales, launches metrology pilot programs

According to China Central Television (CCTV), the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced at its third-quarter regular press conference today that it has conducted a "look-back" campaign to consolidate the market order for electronic pricing scales this year. The campaign inspected a total of 1.246 million electronic pricing scales, uncovering 8,544 substandard units and handling 6,096 cases of metrological violations.

Recently, several bulk snack brands have been subjected to surprise inspections by local market regulators for "short-weighting" consumers. In response, SAMR has decided to launch a pilot program for electronic pricing scale metrology supervision in Hebei, Zhejiang, and Fujian provinces. The pilot program features three key innovations:

1. Upgraded Technical Standards at the Source

SAMR has released two new standards: the Outline for Type Evaluation of Electronic Pricing Scales and the Verification Regulation for Electronic Pricing Scales. These require all electronic pricing scales to be equipped with anti-fraud functions, including "shell-opening lock, authorized unlock, and three-code-one-seal." The "three-code-one-seal" system integrates the production code, maintenance code, verification code, and lead seal into a single closed loop, technically blocking loopholes for unauthorized disassembly, modification, or installation of cheating programs. All products must be produced with certification and enter the market in compliance with regulations, strictly guarding the first gateway of market access.

2. Full-Chain Traceability with "One Scale, One Code"

SAMR has established a national smart metrology supervision platform for electronic pricing scales, covering the entire chain from production, sales, and use to verification and repair. This shifts supervision from "segmented checks" to "end-to-end integration." To date, the platform has registered 235 manufacturers and 2,182 authorized repair units, with 900,000 new-standard electronic pricing scales connected to the network.

• On the sales side: Starting January 8 next year, it will be prohibited to sell electronic pricing scales that do not meet the new outline requirements.
• On the repair side: Repairs must be registered on the platform and authorized by the manufacturer, with repairs only permitted via an "authorized unlock" command, cutting off malicious modification chains.
• For consumers: By scanning the unique identity code on the scale, consumers can access the scale's full lifecycle "identity file," including production, repair, and verification records. If they discover metrological inaccuracies, they can file complaints or reports online.

3. Gradual and Orderly Implementation, No "One-Size-Fits-All" Approach

SAMR adheres to the principles of "category-based policy, orderly progress, government guidance, and market leadership." A reasonable transition period has been set for networked electronic pricing scales, and fair scales in farmers' markets will be upgraded simultaneously to minimize compliance costs for business operators.

Next Steps

SAMR stated that it will promptly summarize the pilot experience and accelerate the construction of a full-chain smart supervision system for electronic pricing scales. By leveraging digital supervision to empower metrology for the people, the administration aims to firmly safeguard the public's "vegetable basket" and "rice bag."