Reconciling Labelling Requirements Applicable Under Various Rules And Regulations For Goods Imported Into India

With the steady increase in the volume of imports into India, the Government of India has introduced stricter standards to ensure compliance with quality standards in India. These laws serve two essential purposes: i) establish and enforce standards of various parameters in order to streamline or regulate trade and commerce, and ii) protect the consumer's rights.

One key aspect of these laws is providing the consumer with all necessary information, so that the consumer makes an informed decision. This is done by clearly mandating the declarations to be made on the labels of the products prior to their sale in India.

Certain goods that are consumed directly by humans require strict compliance not only with the quality parameters but also with the labelling requirements. These goods may be food articles, pharmaceutical products, cosmetic products, etc. For each of these products, the Government has introduced numerous specific rules and regulations. The Drugs