Non-compliance with best before dates rises among ecommerce, quick commerce platforms: Report

About six in 10 customers availing services from quick commerce and ecommerce platforms have said that companies are not displaying best before date as required by law and shipping products close to expiry dates, LocalCircles said in its report.

It added that Meesho, Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, Lenskart, JioMart, Myglamm, Snapdeal, and Decathalon are non-compliant in displaying best before date for human consumption products.

The community has escalated the concern to the Department of Legal Metrology and Central Consumer Protection Authority for enforcement action.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) requires a product must have atleast 30% shelf life available for it to be listed for online sale. In fact, the Packaged Commodity Rules Amendment, 2017 requires the best before date of a product to be displayed online.

"However, most platforms do not display the same and display just the standard shelf life of the product (For example, 12 months) without a manufacturing date or expiry date, in violation of the legal metrology rules," LocalCircles said.

The Packaged Commodity Rules Amendment, 2017 made MRP and best before date information mandatory for packaged products sold online, effective January 1, 2018. LocalCircles, the community platform, has been monitoring this compliance ever since.

In comparison to its 2023 survey, the percentage of consumers unable to find the best before date for products meant for human consumption on ecommerce and quick commerce channels in 2024 rose from 50% to 57%, indicating a decline in compliance.

The report, after due diligence, ascertained that platforms like Tata Neu, Flipkart, Myntra, AJIO, and BigBasket are fully compliant in displaying the best before date for packaged products. It also found that BigBasket Now, Amazon, Amazon Fresh, and MilkBasket are partially compliant, with only a few products showing these details.

The percentage of consumers unable to find MRP displayed on ecommerce and quick commerce sites has also decreased from 40% in 2023 to 35% in 2024, the survey, conducted in July found, indicating marginal improvement in compliance.