Govt to crack down on quick commerce firms over non-compliance with mandatory disclosures

The government plans to take action against quick commerce companies after receiving several consumer complaints about their lack of mandatory disclosures,͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ expiry͏͏ dates,͏͏ for͏͏ grocery͏͏ and͏͏ other͏͏ daily͏͏ essentials͏͏ available͏͏ on͏͏ their͏͏ platforms,͏͏ as͏͏ reported͏͏ by͏͏ ET,͏͏ citing͏͏ a͏͏ senior͏͏ official.

The͏͏ Legal͏͏ Metrology͏͏ (Packaged͏͏ Commodities)͏͏ Amendment͏͏ Rules͏͏ 2017͏͏ require͏͏ that͏͏ “best͏͏ before͏͏ or͏͏ use͏͏ by”͏͏ dates,͏͏ including͏͏ the͏͏ date,͏͏ month,͏͏ and͏͏ year,͏͏ be͏͏ displayed͏͏ on͏͏ digital͏͏ platforms.

If͏͏ a͏͏ consumer͏͏ orders͏͏ a͏͏ 5-kg͏͏ pack͏͏ of͏͏ atta͏͏ and͏͏ receives͏͏ one͏͏ that͏͏ is͏͏ set͏͏ to͏͏ expire͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ next͏͏ three͏͏ to͏͏ four͏͏ days,͏͏ they͏͏ may͏͏ feel͏͏ cheated,͏͏ especially͏͏ since͏͏ there͏͏ is͏͏ no͏͏ option͏͏ to͏͏ return͏͏ it,͏͏ explained͏͏ the͏͏ official.

Major͏͏ Players͏͏ Lacking͏͏ Compliance:

Major͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ companies͏͏ like͏͏ Zomato-owned͏͏ Blinkit,͏͏ Zepto,͏͏ and͏͏ Swiggy͏͏ Instamart͏͏ fail͏͏ to͏͏ display͏͏ the͏͏ expiry͏͏ date,͏͏ best͏͏ before͏͏ date,͏͏ or͏͏ use͏͏ by͏͏ date͏͏ for͏͏ grocery͏͏ and͏͏ food͏͏ products,͏͏ leaving͏͏ consumers͏͏ unaware͏͏ of͏͏ how͏͏ long͏͏ the͏͏ products͏͏ can͏͏ be͏͏ safely͏͏ consumed.

On͏͏ the͏͏ other͏͏ hand,͏͏ Flipkart’s͏͏ recently͏͏ introduced͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ service,͏͏ Flipkart͏͏ Minutes,͏͏ does͏͏ include͏͏ the͏͏ expiry͏͏ dates͏͏ for͏͏ products͏͏ available͏͏ on͏͏ its͏͏ platform.

Emails͏͏ sent͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ spokespersons͏͏ of͏͏ Blinkit,͏͏ Instamart,͏͏ Zepto,͏͏ and͏͏ BBNow͏͏ went͏͏ unanswered.

“We͏͏ are͏͏ reviewing͏͏ the͏͏ complaints͏͏ received͏͏ through͏͏ the͏͏ National͏͏ Consumer͏͏ Helpline͏͏ (NCH)͏͏ and͏͏ categorising͏͏ them,”͏͏ the͏͏ official͏͏ stated,͏͏ noting͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ lack͏͏ of͏͏ expiry͏͏ date͏͏ information͏͏ is͏͏ a͏͏ significant͏͏ issue.

Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ India’s͏͏ quick commerce sales͏͏ surge͏͏ 280%͏͏ in͏͏ two͏͏ years,͏͏ expected͏͏ to͏͏ reach͏͏ USD͏͏ 9.95͏͏ Bn͏͏ by͏͏ 2029

Investigation͏͏ by͏͏ Consumer͏͏ Protection͏͏ Authority:

The͏͏ Central͏͏ Consumer͏͏ Protection͏͏ Authority͏͏ (CCPA),͏͏ functioning͏͏ under͏͏ the͏͏ consumer͏͏ affairs͏͏ ministry,͏͏ is͏͏ investigating͏͏ the͏͏ issue͏͏ and͏͏ is͏͏ expected͏͏ to͏͏ take͏͏ action͏͏ soon,͏͏ the͏͏ person͏͏ added.

While͏͏ the͏͏ best͏͏ before͏͏ date͏͏ indicates͏͏ how͏͏ long͏͏ a͏͏ product͏͏ maintains͏͏ its͏͏ quality,͏͏ the͏͏ use͏͏ by͏͏ or͏͏ expiry͏͏ date͏͏ specifies͏͏ until͏͏ when͏͏ it͏͏ can͏͏ be͏͏ safely͏͏ consumed.

A͏͏ senior͏͏ executive͏͏ at͏͏ a͏͏ prominent͏͏ snack͏͏ foods͏͏ company͏͏ expressed͏͏ support͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ strict͏͏ enforcement͏͏ of͏͏ this͏͏ rule.

Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Over͏͏ 30%͏͏ of͏͏ shoppers͏͏ rely͏͏ on͏͏ quick commerce for͏͏ essentials:͏͏ NielsenIQ