Starting from Monday, i.e., from 1 January 2024, it is now mandatory for all packaged goods to display the ‘𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴’ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 ‘𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲,’ as announced by Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh. Previously, companies could print either the ‘date of manufacturing,’ ‘date of import,’ or the date of packaging on their products.
As per the recent notification from 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆, companies must include only the ‘date of manufacturing’ and the ‘unit sale price’ in their product packaging.
The consumer affairs secretary emphasized to PTI the significance of consumers being informed about the ‘unit sale price’ of packaged items, considering the varying quantities in which they are sold—𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
Including the manufacturing date in the print will enable consumers to determine the age of the packaged item, facilitating more mindful purchase decisions. Likewise, including the unit sale price in the printing will simplify the process for consumers to calculate the cost in unit terms.