The sneaky proposal that means Aussie shoppers could pay more more for less

The federal government is considering a policy that allows manufacturers to remove the weight measurement from the front of an item's packaging, leading to claims that brands could theoretically begin charging customers the same price for a smaller item.

Under the current regulations, product labels have to show how much an item weighs.

The information can help consumers decide which products are the best value for money, but a proposal by the National Measurement Institute to get rid of this requirement has some consumer groups worried.

"This change only helps industry rip us off in the supermarket," consumer group Choice's head of media Tom Godfrey told news.com.au.

"With consumers struggling with the cost of living, being able to easily see how much you're getting for your money is vital."

Industry and business groups claim the new proposal would benefit consumers as well as businesses and that there were no transparency issues associated with removing the product weight labelling.

"In simple terms, a strong measurement framework protects businesses and consumers by ensuring we all get what we pay for at the cash register," Assistant Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Craig Laundy said at the policy proposal announcement on Tuesday.

The federal government argues the proposal will reduce business costs because weight labels would no longer need to be affixed to imported products that don't contain weight information on their packaging.

Those costs would then be passed on to consumers, the argument goes. But the consumer advocate disagrees, and so consumers.

Recent research by Choice found that 92 per cent of consumers want clear weight labelling on the front of the products they buy, news.com.au reports.

The consumer group is encouraging the government not to adopt the policy proposal.

"The research couldn't be clearer, consumers want pack weights to stay exactly where they are - on the front of the pack," Mr Godfrey said.

"It seems clear that some sections of industry have waged war on pack weight transparency to help disguise the fact they are shrinking their packs and reducing value."