16 Jul 2024
Irrespective of the quantity, every packaged item in the retail market must carry complete product details, like ingredients, price, place of origin, and key dates.
According to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, packaged products of more than 25 kg sold in the retail market are exempt from including relevant details on the labels. This is because of the common understanding that commodities above 25 kg were not meant for retail use.
The government plans to amend these rules to mandate this disclosure for all commodities, irrespective of size and weight.
Mandatory details will include the commodity's common or generic name, maximum retail price, unit sale price, month and year of production, best before or use by date, net quantity, name and address of the manufacturer, importer, packer, and country of origin.
With this move, the government aims to standardise the rules and regulations surrounding packaged items and establish consistency and remove bias across brands and their products. However, the new rules will not apply to packaged goods meant for industrial or institutional customers.