In India, the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations require detailed labelling for pre-packaged foods. However, a new study by Natfirst — a health and retail tech platform — uncovers significant compliance issues. The study analyzed 2,871 grocery products listed on a major Indian e-commerce platform and found that 34.83% (approximately 1,000 products) had incomplete or inaccurate information, hindering consumers’ ability to make well-informed choices.
The Natfirst analysis identified several discrepancies, including varying net weights, inconsistent barcodes, and poor-quality images. Specifically, 65 products were missing multiple key labelling elements (such as the nutritional table, ingredients, and net weight), 232 products featured illegible images, and 139 products lacked a nutritional table altogether.
In response, the FSSAI has recently reactivated the draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Amendment Regulations, 2022. According to the FSSAI, e-commerce companies are now required to follow specific labelling and display standards for food products. This includes providing a clear image of the principal display panel of pre-packed foods and displaying their FSSAI License or Registration on the platform. Additionally, food products can be sampled at any point in the supply chain.
“The findings underscore an urgent need for retail intelligence solutions that enable real-time adherence to FSSAI’s norms in order to ensure consumer safety and transparency. It also highlights the ongoing challenge of maintaining high-quality food labelling standards with millions of products being sold each month across diverse sales platforms, reinforcing the need for regulatory compliance in both domestic as well as international markets,” emphasized Ravi Putrevu, Founder, Natfirst and TruthIn.
According to EuroMonitor, India is the third-largest packaged food market globally. Additionally, ECDB reports that monthly eCommerce grocery revenue exceeded INR 6,800 crore in July 2024, reflecting a 12.1% increase from June 2024.
