Case on the record: cleared
A newsroom ran the same test. The bag was light, but was it illegal?
Domino powdered sugar: 2 lb bag, about 1 oz short. Is that actually illegal?
This is the one that a journalist tested himself, not just a creator. WSB-TV Channel 2 Atlanta's Justin Gray put Domino powdered sugar bags on a scale using the same method going viral online, and got the same kind of result: about an ounce under the labeled 2 lb (32 oz). The twist is what happens when you run that specific number through the actual law.
Domino powdered sugar, 2 lb bag
Labeled
32 oz
Actual
31 oz
Short by
1 oz
Legal Limit
1.12 oz
Short by 1.000 oz, which is within the legal tolerance of 1.12 oz for this quantity.
This is computed against NIST Handbook 133, Table 2-5 (the general net-weight tolerance table), the same public standard every state weights & measures agency uses. See how we source this data.
Channel 2's own reporting found the honest, less-viral part of the story too: at every other store they tested, the same product weighed correctly, and the applicable rule allows small, real variance across a production lot rather than demanding every single bag hit the label exactly. Run the numbers below and you'll see this specific shortfall, about 1 oz on a 32 oz bag, actually falls just inside NIST's own allowance for that package size. Domino told Channel 2 it was reviewing its quality process. This is a genuine example of "short, but legal": precision cuts both ways, and that's the point of checking rather than assuming.
Store, manufacturer, or nobody’s fault at all: here’s how to tell which one you’re looking at.
Bought something similar? Check your own package.
Enter the label and your scale reading, get the legal verdict in seconds, no account needed.
Check a package →Checkout Cop is not affiliated with Walmart, Great Value, Domino, or any retailer or brand named on this page. This page states the math from a labeled and a measured quantity; it is not a finding of fact or legal conclusion. See the full disclaimer.