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The FPLA was amended by Public Law 102‐329 to require that labels printed on or after February 14, 1994, bear a statement of the quantity of the contents in terms of the SI metric system as well as in terms of the customary inch/pound system of measure. Because the FPLA pertains only to consumer commodities, metric statements of quantity are not required where products are not marketed to consumers.

The FPLA requires both metric and inch/pound units in the net contents statement on packages regulated by the act (with a few exceptions).³⁶ The most important exceptions apply mostly to retail establishments, specifically:

Random weight packages (i.e., packages of varying weights), where each package’s label is different, need not include a metric weight.³⁷

Items packaged at a retail store need not include metric measurements.³⁸

The FDA proposed metric labeling regulations in 1993, but the proposal has never been finalized.³⁹ Therefore, the metric labeling requirements of the FPLA were never incorporated into FDA’s regulations. The result is that, although foods are required to include a metric statement of contents, there are no details on how to format or place the metric measurement. Firms looking for guidance may wish to review the details of the proposed metric regulations.⁴⁰