Letter: Heseltine behind metric chaos

Sir: Chris Keenan (letter, 7 November) has unfortunately mixed up metrication with unit pricing - an easy mistake to make. Metrication has required that all pre-packed goods have to be sold in metric measures within supermarkets. Products sold loose, such as off the delicatessen counter, can continue to be sold in imperial units until 1 January 2000.

We should have introduced unit pricing into the United Kingdom in the middle of this year, and this would have required products to be sold in standardised packs, or for information to be carried on shelf-edge labels which indicated the price per 100 grams or 100 millilitres. Somerfield Stores' shelf-edge labels carry this information. Unfortunately, much of industry was not as well organised, and as a result unit pricing was pushed back and the exact timetable is still a matter for debate.

STEPHEN R RIDGE

Quality Assurance Executive

Somerfield Stores

Bristol