Standard packs made mandatory for 19 daily-use commodities

The government has directed packaged food companies to use specified standard packs for the sale of 19 commodities of day-to-day use, like bread, biscuits, tea etc, to be sold in the open market.

The new regulation, which is applicable with immediate effect, has been issued in the interest of the common consumer, an official release said today.

The union ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution had, on 5 June 2012, issued a notice in this regard by amending `Legal Metrological (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.'

Manufacture, packing or import of these 19 commodities in non-standard packs will invite penal action, the release said.

The 19 commodities that require packs of specified weights are as follows:

Baby food: in 25g, 50g, 100g, 200g, 300g, 350g, 400g, 450g, 500g, 600g, 700 g, 800 g, 900g, 1 kg, 2kg, 5 kg and 10 kg.

Weaning food: (below 50g no restriction), 50 g, 100g, 200g, 300g, 400g, 500g, 600g, 700g, 800g, 900g, 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg and 10 kg.

Biscuits: 25g, 50g, 60g, 75g, 100g, 120g, 150g, 200g, 250g, 300g, thereafter in multiples of 100g up to 1 kg and thereafter in multiples of 500g up to 5 kg.

Bread, including brown bread but excluding bun: 50g and thereafter in multiples of 50g up to 500g and above 500g in the multiples of 100g.

Un-canned packages of butter and margarine: (below 25g no restriction), 25 g, 50 g, 100 g, 200 g, 500 g, 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg, and thereafter in multiples of 5 kg.

Cereals and pulses: (below 100g no restriction), 100g, 200g, 500g, 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg and thereafter multiples of 5 kg.

Coffee: (below 25g no restriction), 25g, 50g, 75g, 100g, 150g, 200g, 250g, 500g, 1kg, 1.5kg, 2kg and thereafter in multiples of 1kg.

Tea: (below 25g no restriction), 25g, 50g, 100g, 125g 250g, 500g, 1kg and thereafter in multiples of 1kg.

Materials which may be constituted or reconstituted as beverages: (below 50g no restriction), 50 g, 75g, 100 g, 200 g, 250g, 400g, 450g, 500 g, 750g, 1 kg and thereafter in multiples of 1 kg (56g and 61g for medical purpose only).

Edible oils, vanaspati, ghee, butter oil: 50 g, 100 g, 200 g, 250g, 500 g, 1 kg, 2 kg, 3 kg, 5 kg and thereafter in multiples of 5 kg. (If net quantity is declared by volume then 50ml, 100ml, 200ml, 250ml, 500ml, 1 litre, 2 litre, 3 litre, 5 litre and thereafter in multiple of 5 litre and the net quantity must be declared by mass also in the same size of letters/ numerals).

Milk powder: (below 50g no restriction), 50 g, 100g, 150g, 200g, 250g, 500 g, 1 kg and thereafter in multiples of 500 g.

Non-soapy detergents (powder): (below 50 g no restriction), 50g, 75g, 100g, 150g, 200g, 250g, 500g, 700g, 750g, 1kg, 1.5 kg, 2 kg and thereafter, in multiples of 1 kg.

Rice (powdered), flour, atta, rawa and suji: 100g, 200g, 500g, 1kg, 1.25kg, 1.5kg, 1.75kg, 2kg, 5 kg and thereafter in multiples of 5 kg.

Salt: below 50g in multiples of 10g, 50g, 100g, 200g, 500g, 750g, 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg and thereafter in multiples of 5 kg.

Soaps:

(a) Laundry soap: 25g, 50g, 75g, 100g, 125g, 150g and thereafter in multiples of 50g;

(b) Non-soapy detergent cakes/ bars: (below 50g no restriction), 50g, 75g, 100g, 125g, 150g, 200g, 250g, 300g and thereafter in multiples of 100g.
 
(c) Toilet soap, including all kinds of bath soap: 15g, 25g, 50g, 60g, 75g, 100g, 125g, 150g and thereafter in multiples of 50g.

Aerated soft drinks, non-alcoholic beverages: 65 ml (fruit based drinks only), 100 ml, 125ml (fruit based drinks only), 150 ml, 160ml, 175ml, 180ml, 200 ml, 240ml, 250 ml, 300 ml, 330ml (in cans only), 350ml, 400ml, 475ml, 500 ml, 600ml, 750 ml, 1 litre, 1.2 litre, 1.25 litre, 1.5 litre, 1.75 litre, 2 litre, 2.25 litre, 2.5 litre, 3 litre, 4 litre and 5 litre.

Mineral water and drinking water: 100 ml, 150 ml, 200 ml, 250 ml, 300 ml, 500 ml, 750 ml, 1 litre, 1.5 litre, 2 litre, 3 litre, 4 litre, 5 litre and in multiples of 5 litre.

Cement in bags: 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg, 10 kg, 20 kg, 25 kg, 40 kg (for white cement only) and 50 kg.

Paint varnish etc:

(a) Paint (other than paste paint or solid paint) varnish, varnish stains, enamels: 50 ml, 100 ml, 200 ml, 500 ml, 1 litre, 2 litre, 3 litre, 4 litre, 5 litre and thereafter in multiples of 5 litre.
 
Paste paint and solid paint: 500g, 1 kg, 1.5 kg, 2 kg, 3 kg, 5 kg, 7kg and thereafter in multiple of 5 kg.
 
(c) Base paint: 100ml, 250ml, 400ml, 450 ml, 500 ml, 900 ml, 925 ml, 950 ml, 975 ml, 1 litre, 1.5 litre, 2.0 litre, 2.5 litre, 3.5 litre, 3.6 litre, 3.7 litre, 3.8 litre, 3.9 litre and 4 litre and no restriction above 4 litre.

However non-standard packs, which have already been manufactured and packed on or before 31 October 2012 and are ready for sale in different retail outlets, have been exempted from penal action. The ministry said it has asked the controllers of legal metrology in all the states and UTs to ensure strict compliance of the order.