Weights on packets, jars, bottles etc

I have only been vaguely aware of the e symbol, and have to say I didn't know what it meant. I have always wondered how packs of fresh meat, for instance, can all be exactly the same weight. You are not being cynical or paranoid HurdyGurdy, just a realist like I consider myself to be.

We buy baby spinach from Sainsburys or Morrisons and there's always a little more than the net weight stated on the package. Also, don't forget that any weighing scales (yours or theirs) can be inaccurate and all give very slightly different results. Our digital scales go haywire when the battery starts to wear out. My bathroom scales tell me something quite different compared with those at the GP surgery. When I was studying inorganic chemistry we were assigned a particular analytical balance and had to use no other because different scales have different inaccuracies. So, we might be ripped off sometimes but sometimes it works the opposite way.