3 ms·

Grocery sizes. In fact, a lot of them already have it on the items. Typically because a lot of products are also sold in Canada so they put the ml measurement n

by mschild 9mo ago

Grocery sizes. In fact, a lot of them already have it on the items. Typically because a lot of products are also sold in Canada so they put the ml measurement next to the gallons.

alkonaut 9mo ago
Yeah is fl.oz on consumer containers _really_ seen as a volume measurement, i.e. thought of in terms of conversion "How many of these to a gallon", "what does a 6-pack weigh" and so on? Or are they more like t-shirt sizes "I know I want a 16oz can to drink and I know how big they are"?
amanaplanacanal 9mo ago
When I go to buy liquor it seems to already be mostly in metric, sizes are 500ml, 750ml, and liter.
- AngryData 9mo ago
  Most all of it is, even from US companies, but customers still often use the imperial shorthands of pints, quarts, fifths, half gallon, and gallon. Everyone I know just doesn't care that it isn't precisely correct, its all relative due to varying alcohol content anyways.
nayuki 9mo ago
If I understand correctly, the FPLA ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Packaging_and_Labeling_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Packaging_and_Labeling_Ac... ) requires grocery items to be labeled in both American units and metric units. Metric-only is illegal in America but legal and common in Canada. I have shopped in American and Canadian supermarkets and speak from personal observations. It seems the exception is that wine imported into the US can keep metric-only labeling, so I have indeed seen bottles labeled only "750 mL", sold in the US.
qingcharles 9mo ago
Mexico too. Anyone immigrated from basically anywhere is more used to buying in metric. And some products have already made the conversion, e.g. soda bottles.
- bigstrat2003 9mo ago
  > And some products have already made the conversion, e.g. soda bottles. Some soda bottles. 20 oz bottles are still very much the norm at convenience stores, and 12 oz cans are the norm when you buy 12-packs.
tzs 9mo ago
An interesting case on grocery items is that solid things that you pour (breakfast cereal, flour, sugar, salt, for example) the nutrition label gives the serving size in a US customary volume measure and in a metric mass measure. For example my breakfast cereal label says a serving is 1 cup or 45g. Liquids seem to give a US customary volume and a metric volume. For example the milk I put on that cereal says a serving is 1 cup or 240mL. Checking some sauces I have on hand thick liquids (ketchup and sriracha) are US volume and metric mass like pourable solids and thin liquids (like soy sauce) are both US and metric volume like milk. Butter is also US volume and metric mass. A little bit of research says that this is actually regulatory. For things where how much you can fit in a given volume varies quite a bit depending on how you pack it the FDA requires that the metric units on the label be mass units, and that nutritional information is for that amount of mass of the thing. The actual amount of flour in a cup of flour for example can vary quite a bit depending on how much air got in when you poured it. If the label says it is 110 calories for 1/4 cup (30g) and you want to actually use 440 calories of flour in something you should measure out 120g rather than 1 cup. For things like milk 1 cup is going to have the same amount of milk no matter how you pour it, so they use volume measurement for both customary and metric.

by mschild 9mo ago

Grocery sizes. In fact, a lot of them already have it on the items. Typically because a lot of products are also sold in Canada so they put the ml measurement next to the gallons.

alkonaut 9mo ago

Yeah is fl.oz on consumer containers _really_ seen as a volume measurement, i.e. thought of in terms of conversion "How many of these to a gallon", "what does a 6-pack weigh" and so on? Or are they more like t-shirt sizes "I know I want a 16oz can to drink and I know how big they are"?

amanaplanacanal 9mo ago

When I go to buy liquor it seems to already be mostly in metric, sizes are 500ml, 750ml, and liter.

AngryData 9mo ago
Most all of it is, even from US companies, but customers still often use the imperial shorthands of pints, quarts, fifths, half gallon, and gallon. Everyone I know just doesn't care that it isn't precisely correct, its all relative due to varying alcohol content anyways.

nayuki 9mo ago

If I understand correctly, the FPLA ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Packaging_and_Labeling_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Packaging_and_Labeling_Ac... ) requires grocery items to be labeled in both American units and metric units. Metric-only is illegal in America but legal and common in Canada. I have shopped in American and Canadian supermarkets and speak from personal observations. It seems the exception is that wine imported into the US can keep metric-only labeling, so I have indeed seen bottles labeled only "750 mL", sold in the US.

qingcharles 9mo ago

Mexico too. Anyone immigrated from basically anywhere is more used to buying in metric. And some products have already made the conversion, e.g. soda bottles.

bigstrat2003 9mo ago
> And some products have already made the conversion, e.g. soda bottles. Some soda bottles. 20 oz bottles are still very much the norm at convenience stores, and 12 oz cans are the norm when you buy 12-packs.

tzs 9mo ago

An interesting case on grocery items is that solid things that you pour (breakfast cereal, flour, sugar, salt, for example) the nutrition label gives the serving size in a US customary volume measure and in a metric mass measure. For example my breakfast cereal label says a serving is 1 cup or 45g. Liquids seem to give a US customary volume and a metric volume. For example the milk I put on that cereal says a serving is 1 cup or 240mL. Checking some sauces I have on hand thick liquids (ketchup and sriracha) are US volume and metric mass like pourable solids and thin liquids (like soy sauce) are both US and metric volume like milk. Butter is also US volume and metric mass. A little bit of research says that this is actually regulatory. For things where how much you can fit in a given volume varies quite a bit depending on how you pack it the FDA requires that the metric units on the label be mass units, and that nutritional information is for that amount of mass of the thing. The actual amount of flour in a cup of flour for example can vary quite a bit depending on how much air got in when you poured it. If the label says it is 110 calories for 1/4 cup (30g) and you want to actually use 440 calories of flour in something you should measure out 120g rather than 1 cup. For things like milk 1 cup is going to have the same amount of milk no matter how you pour it, so they use volume measurement for both customary and metric.