Roundy’s settles with Wisconsin trade agency for just over $1M

Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc. agreed to a settlement with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) for just over $1 million on Tuesday. The grocer allegedly committed 1,202 short-weight package violations and 90 package label violations.

Roundy’s has not admitted to any wrongdoing.

In December and January, DATCP inspectors, along with municipal weights and measures programs, conducted inspections at 81 of the 105 stores operated by the Milwaukee-based retailer, including Pick 'n Save and Metro Market.

Over the course of four days, inspectors found that 1,202 products had a listed net weight that was “unreasonably inaccurate,” according to DATCP. The products were found to be overpriced by an average of $1.44 per item, with the largest overcharge being $7.04.

Food products recorded by DATCP as short-weight included precooked meals, salad kits, store-packaged sandwiches, premade cold platters, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, fish filets, and others.

In addition to the net weight violations, 587 products were found to have label errors. Ninety of these errors led to civil forfeitures, including 55 violations for improperly selling a product by count instead of weight, and 35 violations for failing to display the net quantity in a prominent location on the packaging.

“Consumers have a right to receive the true value of the products they pay for,” said DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski. “The DATCP Bureau of Weights and Measures conducts hundreds of thousands of inspections every year to protect Wisconsin consumers from misleading pricing and labeling, and I am proud that our team’s work in this matter will ensure fair prices and improve future compliance.”

Between 2018 and 2023, Roundy’s received 63 warning letters from the DATCP Bureau of Weights and Measures for short-weight package and label error violations. The company also paid over $20,000 related to short-weight violations in 2018, 2022, and 2023.

Roundy’s said it is committed to implementing corrective measures at all of its locations to ensure store-made products are properly labeled for consumers. These measures include new informational signage in production areas, updated standard-operating procedure manuals, ongoing associate training, and randomly conducted internal weight checks and label placement inspections.