Legal Metrology Packaged Commodity Rules 2017

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution of the Government of India amended the rules related to the production and sale of packaged commodities in India. These rules are known as The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodity) Amendment Rules, 2017.

According to the rule, any pre-packaged commodity sold for use and consumption by the citizens must properly mention several details on the package. These details shall include the description and quantity of ingredients, date of manufacturing, date of expiry (for items prone to expiration), weight, statutory warnings, manufacturer address, contact and some other info like consumer care details, etc..

The purpose of the government behind applying these rules is to ensure that the citizens of India are aware and informed of what they are buying. This also builds a trust between the manufacturers and consumers, and also promotes transparency. Moreover, this also helps the government in catching any fraudulent businesses which might sell any unwary items in the market.

So let’s take a look on what amendment have been made to the previous Legal Metrology Packaged Commodity Rules, 2011.

Important Details To Be Mentioned On The Package

According to the new rules, pre-packaged commodities must bear certain information on their package.

The package must mention the Country of Origin or Manufacture of the packaged item or the country of assembly in case of imported products. For packages manufactured in India, the package must contain the address of the place with pin code where the product has been manufactured and packaged.

The next information is the ‘Best Before’ date. Any product which is not fit for human consumption or use after a certain period of time must have this date mentioned on the package.

The package must also mention the maximum retail price (MRP) of the product. This MRP is inclusive of all taxes and the price should be rounded off to the nearest rupee or paise.

Note: According to the Indian law, any seller is not permitted to sell any item at a rate higher than the MRP.

Pertaining to the amendment, no manufacturer, importer or packager is allowed to mention multiple MRP’s on a package. Unless otherwise permitted. As this may arise ambiguity.

Apart from all this, the manufacturers are also permitted to mention any other relevant details such as codes (barcode/QR/GTIN, etc), Swachh Bharat logo or any other permitted information.

Print Area of the Declaration on the Label

The new Legal Metrology Rules have defined the part of area to contain the product details on packages of different shapes and sizes. The height of letters vary accordingly pertaining to the size of the package.

In case of rectangular packages, one entire side (L x W) shall fully contain the packaging details where only that side can be treated as the principle area of display. In case of a cylindrical package or package of any other shape, 40 percent of the total surface of the package is to be the imprint area for the information.

As a matter of fact, e-commerce businesses have also been included in this amendment. Any e-commerce entity must ensure that all the mandatory declarations other than the date of manufacture or packaging is displayed on the package.

For online selling systems like amazon or Flipkart, where manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers list their items. It becomes the responsibility of the e-commerce service provider to obtain and list proper details of contact of the seller.

Address of the Manufacturer/Importer/Packager

As per the new Legal Metrology rules, the complete postal address of the manufacturer/importer/packager must be mentioned on the package. If the package is less than 10 cubic cm in size, the package must hold any inscription, logo, or some other mark to help the consumer identify the origins of the product.

The complete postal address refers to the proper postal address, mentioning the house/plot no, locality, landmark, street, district, city and state along with the pin code. If the address of the premises is quite long to be mentioned on the package, the importer/manufacturer/packager may apply for a shorter display address at the State Legal Metrology authority.

Fines and Penalties

In line with the new amendments, any violation of the Legal Metrology rules with no defined penalty must be punishable with a charge of INR 5000. The law also defines different slabs of fines for compounded sums with the fines ranging from a minimum of INR 2000 to a maximum of INR 50,000.

CliniExperts understands all the legal clauses of the new Legal Metrology Rules thus helping our clients avoid any such penalties. We help our clients with reviewing their existing products and procedures to safeguard chances of any imminent penalties.

Final Catch

The Amendments in the Legal Metrology Packaged Commodity Rules, have opened new areas of inclusions for metric related devices. It is best to avoid the web of these tangled rules and formalities and to hire professionals to get this this done quick and easy. CliniExperts has been dealing with the cast and chores of Legal Metrology procedures for quite a long time. We have helped numerous clients apply and obtain proper licenses and certificates from the Legal Metrology Department. Eventually, we’ll help you solve your respective problems as well.

For further assistance and details related to the subject, feel free to drop us a line at contact@cliniexperts.com or +917672005050, +91-11-28081765