Packaged Commodities Rules

About Packaged Commodities Rules

• Packaged commodities rules are applicable for all the products like food products, electronic gadgets, consumer durable as well as non-durable goods. 
• Every product manufacturer, or repacker or the person who put labels on products or marketer needs to follow :
• PRICE: Pricing details to be mentioned on the actual product as well as at the online display of the product. (basically, the maximum retail price needs to be mentioned)
• ORIGIN: Origin of the product (name of country) where the product was manufactured, processed or assembled.
• Expiry Date: Expiry date, use by date should be mentioned on each product. Consumers should be aware of what they are consuming or use it is safe or not.
• Swachh Bharat though the label is not mandatory, you are welcome to print this as well. (quality assurance purpose).
• Barcodes, QR Codes, E-Codes on Product for quality assurance purpose.

Who Needs to Comply with  Packaged Commodities rules?

• Both online and offline sellers.
• . Additionally FSSAI Licence number should be printed on the food products.

The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011

• The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 came into effect on the 1st of April, 2011, replacing the Weights and Measures Act. 
• Act Purpose of establishing and enforcing standards of weights and measures or aspects incidental to the same.
• Crucial arm of the act is the Packaged Commodities Rules, i.e. Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as “Rules”).
• The Department of Legal Metrology falls under the Department of Consumer Affairs and is therefore concerned with fair and honest practices in relation to all aspects of the trade.
• The Rules deal with goods that are packaged and provide inter alia how declarations are to be made and what declarations are to be contained in a packaged commodity that is meant to be for sale.

Rules do not apply to certain packages even if they satisfy all other criteria if:

• The package is sold by weight or measure and amounts to less than 10 ml or 10 gm (provided the product is not tobacco); or
• Package contains fast food items and is packed by hotels/restaurant/similar body; or
• Contains scheduled drugs and non scheduled drugs covered by the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 1995; or
• Agricultural farm produce in packages above 50 kgs; or
• A thread which is sold in the form of the coil to handloom weavers.