Baskin-Robbins to Pay $148,000 for Weight Errors

After six months of weighing the evidence, county and state weights and measures officials concluded that Baskin-Robbins Inc., the keeper of 31 Flavors, was inaccurately--but not intentionally--weighing ice cream packages it sold.

A lawsuit by the San Diego city attorney’s office and the settlement against the corporation were filed simultaneously this week. The company was ordered to pay $148,195.27 in civil penalties and court costs, according to Deputy City Atty. William R. Newsome III.

Baskin-Robbins was found to be shortchanging customers by selling pints, quarts and gallon packages of ice cream that did not weigh what those packages claimed they did. But there will be no refunds for customers.

All 495 Baskin-Robbins stores in California will be affected by the settlement, which bars the corporation from again misrepresenting the weight of ice cream.

Marilyn Novak, spokeswoman for Baskin-Robbins in Glendale, said she did not want to comment on the fairness of the settlement, but said the corporation never intended to deceive consumers.

She said the problems started when Baskin-Robbins, trying out a marketing strategy, switched methods of measuring.

“The consumer is used to the term pint as a measure of ice cream,” she said. “And so just as test on the market, we changed from ounces to pints.”

Since August, the corporation has changed signs in its stores back to the traditional by-the-ounce measurements and prices, she said.