While searching an entirely different subject, I ran across this discussion about Duracell vs. EveryReady (or somebody). It reminded me of a question, never really answered, that I posted here many moons ago. A fresh inquiry to the FTC is, again, completely ignored. Why can I get nowhere with this concern? While it’s not quite as important as the War in Iraq or the Recovery from Katrina, somebody, somewhere should be looking at this, IMHO of course.
Well, the answer is implicit in the staff report you cited. There’s so little difference in performance (energy content if you must) between the name brand batteries that you might as well just buy by the price. It’s sort of asking like how much milk is in a gallon container – as much as they can squeeze in.
As for why you can’t get anywhere with this concern, it’s because it seems as though alkaline batteries are one of those rare products where you’re not getting ripped off (except for really high markups). So there’s no pressing need for increased legislation and/or regulation.
But if it really bugs you, it’s certainly possible to be an informed consumer and read some online reviews. Which will say pretty much what was in the staff report – the difference in battery capacity is so miniscule, so dependant on application, that it’s pretty much a waste of time worrying about it.