The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 to make it mandatory for e-commerce companies to mention maximum retail price (MRP), expiry dates and country of origin of products available on the platforms. This will come into effect from January 1, 2018. These amended rules will apply to both e-commerce companies like BigBasket and Grofers, which stock inventory, and e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart, which technically do not own the inventory, even though they provide sellers with storage space. An E-Commerce entity shall ensure that the mandatory declarations as specified in sub-rule (1), except the month and year in which the commodity is manufactured or packed, shall be displayed on the digital and electronic network used for e-commerce transactions: The mandatory declarations specified in sub-rule (1) include: 1. The name of the country of origin or manufacture or assembly in case of imported products shall be mentioned on the package. 2. If a package contains a commodity which may become unfit for human consumption after a period of time, the ‘best before or use by the date, month and year’ shall also be mentioned on the label. (a) the expression “Best Before” means the date which signifies the end of the period under any stated storage conditions during which the product shall remain fully marketable and shall retain any specific qualities for which tacit or express claims have been made and beyond the date commodity may still be…
