Today’s fast-paced world has witnessed and continues to witness a monumental evolution in the way one sells or buys a product. Much as the rate of evolution, there is always the element of risk so far as counterfeiting of such products are concerned. And, this touches virtually every possible market segment that we know – Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) like cosmetics, oral care products, perfumes and deodorants, branded grocery commodities and the like; Pharmaceutical products, Food & Beverages, Industrial products… the list goes on.
The prime objectives of a seller are the security of the product, information of the nature of the product and it shelf life. And, those for the consumer are the genuineness and shelf life of the product intended to be purchased.
Hence, quality bureaus the world over have drawn up specific regulatory standards and guidelines that are mandatory requisites for product manufacturers to adhere to so that consumers (as well as the manufacturers) are protected in a volatile market scenario.
WHAT IS CODING DATA?
And, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is no exception in drawing up such standards for products manufactured and sold in India. These standards specify a set of critical data that will have to be coded and made clearly visible to a consumer who intends to purchase a product. The data to be coded on a product or the packaging are DATE OF MANUFACTURE, MAXIMUM RETAIL PRICE (M.R.P.) OF THE PRODUCT & DATE OF EXPIRY (should the product have a limited shelf life/usage).
WHY PRINT THE CODE?
Tracing history, we see that, initially most or all product packaging carried such data on sticker-type labels that were stuck on the outer surface of the packaging, However, over time, manufacturers came to realize that this method lacked security, as the labels are likely to be removed and replaced. Thus, was born the idea of coding the data directly onto the product/packaging surface, so that they cannot be erased.
LEGAL METROLOGY STANDARDS
Measurements have much become an integral part of our daily lives that we often take them for granted and possibly fail to notice them. The term LEGAL METROLOGY implies the application of legal requisites to measurements, with specific relevance to packaged commodities. This today, has become extremely crucial in buyer-seller transactions so as to eliminate counterfeiting and duplication of a manufactured product while creating a greater awareness in the consumer to choose the right product.
The Bureau of Indian Standards has drawn up regulations and parameters that are to be stringently complied with by product manufacturers. Furnished below is a table that specifies values for the data to be coded in the Principal Display Panel on the product/package:
