Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has taken a big step to protect the health and rights of consumers amidst the growing network of online grocery and quick-commerce apps that deliver goods to home in 10 minutes. Customers often complain that when they order milk, bread, flour, oil, snacks or canned food products from platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart or BigBasket, they do not know before ordering what is the expiry date of the product. Many times, after home delivery, when the packet is turned over, it is found that only two or three days are left for the item to expire. To end this helplessness of consumers and make digital shopping as transparent as checking the goods in hand at a grocery store, FSSAI is preparing to implement new stringent rules. Under the proposed rules of the authority, now every e-commerce and quick-commerce platform will have to display complete information about its manufacturing date, expiry or best before date, batch number and ingredients found in it in big and clear letters at the time of product listing on its app or website. Customers will no longer get 'surprise': Complete details will be visible before adding to the cart. At present, only the product's picture, weight, brand name and discounted price are prominently visible on e-commerce platforms. The legal information printed on the back of the packet—such as allergens, preservatives, added sugar, sodium content and most importantly, the expiry date—remains hidden from the consumer's view at the time of ordering. According to the new draft rules of FSSAI, platforms will have to completely upgrade their digital catalogues. Now it will be mandatory to upload the entire Back of Pack label in clearly readable format along with the main image on the page of any food product. Additionally, the app will display real-time information on the dark store from which your goods are being packed, the manufacturing date of the specific batch and when it expires. If the customer feels that the remaining shelf life of the bread or cheese is less than what he needs, he will be able to refuse to buy it even before ordering. The mandatory rule of 30% or 45 days of batch number and shelf life has also been imposed by the authority on the old habit of quick-commerce companies in which they used to pass on their unsold or near-expiry stock to online customers by giving huge discounts. Under the shelf-life norms of FSSAI, e-commerce food business operators (FBOs) are mandated to ensure that at least 30 per cent of the total shelf life of any packaged product or at least 45 days of validity remains at the time of delivery. Along with this, display of 'Batch Number' on digital listing is also being made mandatory. The biggest benefit of making batch number mandatory will be that if there is a complaint of adulteration, fungus or chemical defect in any factory or batch, then food safety officials will be able to track all the packets of that batch across the country in a single click and get them immediately 'recalled' (back from the market). This will completely eliminate the possibility of storing unsafe food items in dark stores. Legal clampdown will also be tightened on misleading claims and hygiene of dark stores. In the new guidelines, accountability has been fixed not only for the expiry date but also for the misleading claims made by the companies. Often, big claims like '100% natural', 'zero fat', 'no added sugar' or 'immunity booster' are written on the packets, whereas in fine print, artificial chemicals and sweeteners are found inside it. FSSAI has clarified that if a brand makes a misleading claim online, it will be held co-accused along with the e-commerce platform hosting that product. Apart from this, orders have been given to thoroughly check the cleanliness and cold chain system of 'dark stores' (warehouses from where delivery is made within 10 minutes) which are rapidly opening in the densest areas of the cities. Licenses of dark stores storing frozen foods, ice cream, butter and cheese at room temperature instead of deep freezers, or dumping food items in premises unprotected from rats and insects will be immediately cancelled. It will be mandatory for every dark store to make the valid FSSAI license number and hygiene rating public on the app. What action will be taken if rules are broken: Fine of Rs 5 lakh and jail sentence. Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, strict punitive provisions will be implemented against e-commerce platforms and sellers violating the rules. If any platform is found selling goods by hiding the expiry date or giving wrong information, it will be categorized as 'misbranding' and 'unsafe food distribution'. The authority can impose a financial penalty of up to ₹5 lakh on guilty companies. If a consumer's health deteriorates or food poisoning occurs due to consumption of expired or poor quality food items, then there is a provision of filing a case against the company officials and the seller under non-bailable sections and a minimum jail sentence of 6 months to 6 years. The Food Safety Administration has made it clear that doing business in the digital world cannot mean exemption from rules. Be a conscious consumer: Keep these 4 things in mind while ordering food and ration online Till these new rules are fully notified and implemented in the official gazette, consumers themselves need to be extra careful while taking delivery: Check the date with the delivery agent: As soon as the delivery bag comes in your hands, the first thing to do is check the expiry or 'Use By' date of milk, curd, cheese, bread and packaged snacks as soon as you open the packet. If the item is expired or has only 24-48 hours left in its shelf life, return it to the delivery partner immediately. Check packet seals and leakage: Do not use tetra pack juice, oil or sauce bottles if they appear puffed, sticky or leaking. Complain immediately on the app by snapping a photo: If an expired item is delivered, snap a clear photo of that packet with date and delivery invoice and visit the support section of the app to claim replacement or full refund. National Helpline 1915 and Report to FSSAI: If the e-commerce company does not resolve your complaint satisfactorily, you can call the National Consumer Helpline number 1915 of the Government of India. Along with this, direct complaints about adulteration and stale products can be lodged through the official portal of FSSAI or 'Food Safety Connect' app. Awareness is the strongest protection for your and your family's health.
