E-commerce companies mandated to declare MRP and expiry dates of products

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The government has asked e-commerce companies to compulsorily declare the expiry dates and maximum retail prices (MRP) of packaged consumer products that they display online, so that consumers can be protected from being sold old goods.
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In a notification dated June 23rd, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs made an amendment to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, mandating e-commerce companies and online marketplaces to display the expiry date, the MRP, and the country of origin of the products being sold on their platforms.

The rules will come into effect from January 1, 2018.

"An ecommerce entity shall ensure that the mandatory declarations as specified, except the month and year in which the commodity is manufactured or packed, shall be displayed on the digital and electronic network used for ecommerce transactions," states the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Amendment Rules, 2017.

While companies like on-demand grocery platforms BigBasket and Grofers will hold the responsibility of their products, online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon India that just provide platforms to sellers and do not own inventory themselves, the "responsibility of the correctness of declarations lie with the manufacturer or seller or dealer or importer."
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These marketplaces will, however, be responsible of ensuring due diligence before dispatching the products.


(Image source The Telegraph)
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