The Government has confirmed that a consultation which could pave the way for greater use of imperial measurements in post-Brexit Britain will be launched on Friday.
However, a key supermarket boss has slammed the idea.
Plans to review “overbearing EU rules” will restore “common sense” to the statute book, according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The EU weights and measures directive came into force in 2000, with traders legally required to use metric units for sale-by-weight or the measure of fresh produce.
It remains legal to price goods in pounds and ounces, but they have to be displayed alongside the price in grammes and kilogrammes, except in a limited number of cases.
The 12-week consultation will look at how to change those stipulations, giving traders more freedom to choose how they price fresh items.
Business minister Paul Scully said: “While we think of our fruit and veg by the pound, the legacy of EU rules means we legally have to sell them by the kilo.
“Our consultation today will help shops to serve customers in the way their customers want.”
Asda chairman Lord Rose of Monewden said returning to imperial measurements would only please “a small minority who hark for the past”.
He slammed the idea as “complete and utter nonsense” and would “add cost” for those making the transition.
The idea has already faced criticism from the Conservative backbenches, with Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns also branding it “a nonsense”.
Lord Rose said it amounted to going “backwards”, and predicted it would be costly for those putting it in place.
Asked if he welcomed a return to the use of imperial measurements, he told Times Radio: “The only polite word I can think of for your programme is, I’ve never heard such nonsense in my life.
“I mean, we have got serious problems in the world and we’re now saying let’s go backwards. Does anybody in this country below the age of about 40 know how many ounces there are in a pound?
“Are we going to go down to the supermarket and say, ‘I’ll have a pound-and-a-half please, or one pound, four ounces of this or that’?
“We’re doing it just to actually please a small minority of people who hark for the past. It’s complete and utter nonsense and it will add cost to those people who have to put it into place.
“I am shocked. It’s one thing having a crown on your pint glass, which is a bit of fun and a bit of nostalgia. It’s quite another having a whole dual system of weights and measures.”
Related: Imperial measurements: People posted what other things they could see coming back
