Mid-Michigan Dining

I saw this on Twitter from @aribadler.  It’s a story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about propane tanks that show they are full, but really aren’t.  As I’ve made clear before, I think grilling with propane is cheating…and it’s just lazy.  Why even grill out?  Still, I know it’s more popular than using wood, so I thought this would be of interest to those of you that choose the gas.

Last summer two of the nation’s leading sellers of pre-filled grill tanks —- Blue Rhino and AmeriGas —- reduced the amount of propane in their tanks from 17 pounds to just 15 pounds. Company officials said the change allowed their tanks’ retail price to remain the same at a time when propane prices had spiked. Although propane prices have dropped significantly, the companies haven’t increased the amount of propane in their tanks.

[snip]

Because Blue Rhino and AmeriGas have changed tank labels to say “15 lbs” they’re complying with weights and measures laws, regulators at the Georgia Department of Agriculture said. But some consumers —- who assumed that the uniformly sized metal tanks would be filled to legal capacity —- are crying foul at what they consider sneaky shortchanging.

Like most other things in life, your better off buying local.