Weighing For Effect Or Planning For Shrinkage

Food manufacturers of powder-based products must consider both weight and volume when packaging their goods. Use of a weight measurement ensures that each package provides the guaranteed portion due the customer. Volume of the product during the fill process, however, is oftentimes greater than the perceived amount in the bag once in the customer's hands. This is due to consolidation of the powder which takes place in the intervening time period.

How do manufacturers know what this shrinkage factor will be? And will it cause a problem for the customer if they think that they are being cheated?

The important fact to understand is that powders naturally consolidate with time due to their self-weight. The "loose-fill density" is the physical attribute that characterize the powder at the outset. Voids in the powder, which occur naturally during the filling process, gradually disapper as the particles rearrange themselves. The air entrapped during filling gets squeezed out and the particles achieve a closer packing condition which in turn increases the density.