Estimated sign
The EU's pre-packaging directive ( 76/211/EEC ) is an EC directive, which regulates the extent to which the mass or volume of the contents of a box from the print on the package may differ. The stylized little ℮ is the abbreviation quantité estimée ( = French for " estimated, budgeted amount" )
Background
When filling packagings with filling, fluctuations can not be avoided. The actual contents of the package is true then does not match the print on the package. In order not to disadvantage consumers, many states have set the maximum permissible deviation by law.
In the countries of the European Union were valid until the entry into force of the pre-packaging directive different rules. They differed in the allowed deviations and the significance of the amount specified. This was, in some countries the minimum quantity and in others the average quantity.
The EU's pre-packaging directive has these different schemes replaced by a single set of rules. Thereafter, the contents of a package must satisfy the following requirements:
- The actual amount corresponds to the average of the stated amount ( principle of averages )
- Only a small number of packages below the actual amount of the quantity specified by more than the maximum permissible deviation
- None of the actual packing amount is less than the specified amount of more than twice the maximum permissible deviation.
The maximum downward deviation depends on the package size.
Product sizes from filling equipment, which comply with Directive are marked with the sign ℮ estimate that is derived from a small "e". This symbol must be at least 3 mm high. It may be preceded by or followed by their amount; e.g. " ℮ 250 g" or " 1314 ml ℮ " or " ℮ 1 liter ".
Computer typography
The ℮ is in Unicode block characters like symbols ( letter like symbols ) included and can be produced in different systems by key combinations or codes: