A Reddit user said two Asda butter packs weighed below their 500-gram labels on a kitchen scale. The r/AskUK post showed one pack at 416 grams and another at 423 grams. The post prompted discussion about supermarket packaging and household scales. Commenters also debated whether the difference warranted a complaint.
The Reddit user, u/NoCarrot2064, posted photos showing a pack of salted Asda butter and a pack of unsalted Asda butter on a kitchen scale. Both packages displayed 500 grams on their labels. The user said they noticed similar differences while buying butter from Lidl. They asked whether the difference counted as legal and whether they should report it.
Reddit User’s Butter Weigh-In Sparks Debate Over Scales
The post quickly drew suggestions that the kitchen scale could explain the discrepancy. One commenter wrote, “My first thought here is your scales are probably shit. Try someone else’s.” Another user suggested checking the scales before contacting the supermarket. “Weigh a coin to get the calibration checked 👍,” they wrote.
A second commenter offered a simple household test involving water. “Get an empty measuring jug, place [it] on the scale, and zero the weight,” [sic] the user wrote. They then suggested adding 500 milliliters of water to test the reading. That advice sparked another discussion about whether measuring jugs could introduce errors.
Other commenters focused on the butter itself rather than the measuring equipment. “There is a legally permitted difference between the labelled weight and the actual product weight,” one user wrote. The commenter also suggested contacting the supermarket after checking the scales. Another Reddit user wrote, “I’d wager it’s a scale issue,” without offering evidence beyond the post.
Some users questioned whether the displayed weights looked plausible for a 500-gram product. One commenter wrote, “It’s possible they average 500g across the full batch and you got super unlucky.” Another user joked about the situation with a butter-related headline. “i cant believe its not 500g butter” [sic], the commenter wrote. The thread also included jokes about increasingly elaborate ways to verify the scale.
The discussion included several practical suggestions for checking household measurements. One user recommended using supermarket scales for comparison. Another suggested measuring water, while others debated whether coins provide reliable calibration. One commenter even suggested using 500 milliliters of water as a basic scale test.
The thread also attracted jokes about British supermarkets and butter. One user wrote, “That’s definitely worth a strongly-worded letter to the Telegraph.” Another commenter responded with the mock sign-off, “Signed, Outraged of Tunbridge Wells.” Other users joked about butter shortages and supermarket quality.
The Reddit discussion did not establish whether Asda underfilled either butter package. The photos showed readings of 416 grams and 423 grams, but the thread provided no independent scale testing. The Daily Dot could not independently verify the weights shown in the photos or the scale’s accuracy. The details above reflected the Reddit user’s post and responses visible in the thread.
