Background
The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is tasked with enforcing the Food Safety Act and the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Amendment Rules, 2018, which require that all packaged human‑consumption products listed on e‑commerce sites display a clear “Best Before” or “Use By” date with day, month and year.
Survey Findings
LocalCircles conducted a follow‑on survey in 2026, receiving 17,133 valid responses from consumers in 164 districts. Respondents were 61 % male and 39 % female; 53 % were from tier‑1 cities, 29 % from tier‑2 and 18 % from tier‑3/4 districts. When asked how they located the best‑before date for packaged foods purchased online in the past 12 months, 13 % said the date was displayed on all apps/sites, 5 % on most apps/sites, 21 % on some apps/sites, 13 % on just a few apps/sites, 35 % could not find the date on any app/site and 13 % gave no clear answer. Overall, 48 % of shoppers reported that they still cannot find best‑before information on most platforms, a reduction from 57 % non‑compliance reported in 2024.
Platform Compliance
Among the eight major online grocery platforms assessed, Amazon Now, Flipkart and BigBasket were found compliant, displaying best‑before dates for packaged food items. Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit, JioMart and Milk Basket were identified as non‑compliant, either omitting the date entirely or providing only a generic shelf‑life figure that does not indicate the expiry date. Some respondents reported receiving bread with only 1–2 days of remaining shelf life, whereas the typical shelf life is 5–7 days.
Regulatory Actions
Following an escalation by LocalCircles in October 2024, FSSAI issued formal warnings to several quick‑commerce and e‑commerce platforms, instructing them to list only products that have at least 30 % of their shelf life remaining or a minimum of 45 days before expiry. No directive was issued to mandate the online display of the best‑before date. The Food Safety and Standards Amendment Regulation 2020, which FSSAI seeks to enforce, does not currently require the date to be shown on the digital interface, creating a gap between the legal metrology requirement and food‑safety enforcement.
Recommendations from LocalCircles
LocalCircles has reiterated its request that FSSAI either amend the 2020 amendment to explicitly require online display of best‑before dates or revoke the exemption in the Legal Metrology amendment that currently excludes food products. The organization plans to share the survey results with FSSAI, Legal Metrology authorities and the Competition Commission of India (CCPA) to push for enforcement that ensures consumers receive the same expiry information online as they do in physical retail.