what does the lone 'e' on most packaging mean

Factual Questions
1

dear cecil:

i live and work in the middle east. we get a lot of canned stuff here. on most of these i find the letter ‘e’ in lower case but in big type. what does it mean? thanx

2

I can’t answer your question, unfortunately, but I have to say I love your username.

3

It’s the estimated sign, indicating that the weight/volume indication on the package fulfills the European Union’s requirements for error of margin.

4

It’s the symbol of the European Union. It simply means that the contents meet the standards of the EU in terms of weight, contents, source of parts and so forth.

5

Uhm, it’s not any of the symbols “of the European Union,” even if it has defined by the EU.

6

A list of all the European Union packaging marks may be found on European Union: EU Marking, Labelling, and Packaging - An Overview (.pdf)

(Ironically, it was easier for me to find this collected list on a U.S. Governement page than on an EU page.)

The specific mark in question appears to be the “e-MARK” described about two-thirds of the way down the page. (Page 11 of 16 in the .pdf.)

7

Where in the Middle East?

8

I think you are confusing it with the “CE” mark, which is different. This is the lower-case “estimated” e.