Centre allows manufacturers to utilise inventory of pre-printed packaging material till Sept

In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre has allowed companies to use till September their inventories of packaging materials or wrappers with pre-printed manufacturing date.

However, manufacturers of packaged commodities will have to stamp or put stickers declaring details of the correct month and year of manufacturing and packing on the pre-packaged products, said an order issued by the Consumer Affairs Ministry.

"Due to the prevalent condition of COVID-19, leading to the lockdown of the whole country, the manufacturing activities have come to a grinding halt. Consequently, the inventory of packaging material/wrapper with pre-printed date of manufacturing is not expected to be exhausted with the time limit prescribed under the rules," the ministry said.

Therefore, the ministry has permitted the manufacturers or packers to utilise the existing packaging material or wrapper up to September by declaring the correct month and year of manufacturing and packing of pre-packaged commodities by way of stamping or putting sticker or online printing as the case may be, it said.

The relaxation will be applicable to those manufacturers or packers who have to declare the month and year of manufacturing and packing under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, it added.