Consumers want e-commerce sites to display manufacturing, expiry dates on packaged food: Survey

Ordering packaged food from e-commerce sites has increased many folds in the recent years but the absence of manufacturing and expiry dates on such products often leads to the product not being fully utilised.
A whooping 96 per cent of the participants in a recent survey agreed that e-commerce sites should mandatorily disclose manufacturing and expiry dates of such products sold on their sites.
Citizen engagement platform LocalCircles conducted a poll and asked how many of the consumers thought that ecommerce sites should mandatorily disclose manufacturing and expiry date of the packaged food products sold on their sites.
Out of the approximately 10,000 consumers who voted, 96 per cent answered in a yes, with only 2 per cent, saying it should not be done and 2 per cent choosing not to answer.
“LocalCircles will be taking up this issue shortly with Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Department of Consumer Affairs requesting them to take immediate action on this matter so all eCommerce site and their sellers of packaged food comply with this ask by the consumers,” the citizen engagement platform said in a statement.
This survey, according to LocalCircles, is a result of several complaints from users, stating that some of the packaged food that they ordered from e-commerce sites is quite close to its expiry date and has limited shelf life available.
The display of manufacturing and expiry dates as well as the MRP, LocalCircles said, will help the consumer as well as increase consumer trust in the eCommerce channel.