§ 438:20 — Method of Sale of Commodities; General

Commodities in liquid form shall be sold only by liquid measure or by weight, and, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, commodities not in liquid form shall be sold only by weight, by measure of length or area, or by count; provided, however, that liquid commodities may be sold by weight, and commodities not in liquid form may be sold by count, only if such methods give accurate information as to the quantity of commodity sold. All nomenclature, procedure, and methods of sale of commodities in this state shall comply with the National Institute of Standards and Technology Handbook 130 and all amendments to such handbook, unless otherwise provided in this chapter. The provisions of this section shall not apply (1) to commodities when sold for immediate consumption on the premises where sold, (2) to vegetables when sold by the head or bunch, (3) to commodities in containers standardized by a law of this state or by federal law, (4) to commodities in package form when there exists a general consumer usage to express the quantity in some other manner, (5) to concrete aggregates, concrete mixtures, and loose solid materials such as earth, soil, gravel, crushed stone, and the like, when sold by cubic measure, or (6) to unprocessed vegetable and animal fertilizer when sold by cubic measure. The commissioner may adopt such reasonable rules as are necessary to assure that the amounts of a commodity sold are determined in accordance with good commercial practice and are so determined and represented as to be accurate and informative to all parties at interest.

Legislative History

1985, 72:1. 1989, 324:12, eff. Aug. 1, 1989.