Everything You Need To Know About LMPC Labeling Requirements

The LMPC Certification in this dynamic commercial landscape ensures that pre-packaged products that are sold to customers comply with the Legal Metrology Packaging Commodities Rules 2011 and the Legal Metrology Act 2009. The certification ensures that products contain a standard weight, measure, and labeling, necessary to keep the end users informed and safeguarded.

As per the Legal Metrology Packaged Commodities Rules 2011, every label/ packaging of pre-packaged goods is required to bear certain particulars. The law requires every container or wrapper of such commodities to contain certain information in a legible, clean, and conspicuous manner.

Let’s delve deeper and get detailed insights into the labeling requirements of LMPC (Legal Metrology Packaged Commodity) and other key aspects such as the manner of declaration, use of standards, and documents required.

Why Obtaining LMPC Certificate in India is Important?

In India, every manufacturer, packer, importer, retailer, and distributor of pre-packaged commodities is mandated to possess a valid LMPC Certificate. As per the Legal Metrology Act 2009, pre-packaged commodity refers to those products that are kept in a container, wrapped in a wrapper, or sealed in any other package before being sold to consumers.

Why Every Packaged Goods Seller Should Get an LMPC Certificate? Consumers rely on the labels of products to make informed decisions regarding whether to purchase them or not. For this, they must be aware of the net quantity of the product, its date of manufacturing, ingredients, maximum retail price, and date of expiry, among others. An LMPC certification obliges entities in the supply chain to adhere to the disclosure norms and provide these details accurately and fairly.

LMPC certificate ensures that no product is misrepresented with regard to its quantity or follows any unfair trade practices. In addition, it ensures that every business conforms to the regulations and maintains uniformity in trade, especially while shipping the product beyond domestic borders.

Mandatory Labeling Requirements under LMPC Certificate

Within the LMPC Certification process, there are multiple regulatory requirements including rules governing the labelling and packaging of pre-packaged products. Businesses are required to pre-print certain information on the packaging of the product. These key details include the following mandatory declarations:

• Name and Address: Every package should bear the name and address of the manufacturer or packer. In case the product is not manufactured in the home country but is being imported by an importer, the address must be of the importer declared on the package. In case someone wishes to print/write a short address on the pack, they have to get prior approval from the Director or Controller of concerned Legal Metrology.
• Name of the Product: The generic or common name of the product must be clearly and vividly mentioned on the packaging. In case the package contains more than one product, each product should have its respective name on its wrapper/ container.
• Net Quantity: The commodity’s packaging must contain the net quantity of the product in standard units such as weight, length, volume, etc. It must exclude the (weight, length, volume, etc.) of the packaging and wrapper.
• Manufacturing Timeline: The package shall mention the month and year in which the product was manufactured/ packed/ imported.
• MRP (Maximum Retail Price): Every pre-packaged product must contain the retail sale price, that is the maximum price at which the product can be sold to the customer. The particulars should initiate with Max. or Maximum Retail Price Rs/ ₹ along with inclusive of all taxes. In case the price includes a fraction less than 50 paise, it must be rounded off to proceeding rupees.
• Country of Origin: In case a product is imported from a country other than the domestic country, the pack must specify the name of the country from where the product was sourced.

How Legal Metrology Rules Affect Product Labeling & Packaging? The Legal Metrology Commodities Rules 2011 mandate producers/ packers/ importers to make certain declarations in a conspicuous and clear manner. This is done to safeguard customers from any misleading, unfair, or deceiving practices and ensure that customers receive the specified quantity and correct ingredients for what they have paid for.

Manner of Declaration to be Made on Packaged Products

Every declaration required to be made on the label of the products should be printed/inscribed in a certain manner. The manner of declaration is as follows:

• Legible: The particulars mentioned on the product must be easily readable, definite (clearly stated), plain, and clearly visible.
• Colour: Numerals to be mentioned on the pack can be printed, inscribed, or painted in a colour contrasting with the background of the label.
• Written Particulars: In case the particulars are printed in hand-script or handwritten format, the information must be legible, unambiguous, and clear.
• Language: Name, address, and other key particulars on the pack can be printed either in English or Hindi in Devnagri Script.
• Contact Details: Every product shall bear the name, telephone number, address, and email address of the person who can be contacted to lodge any consumer complaint.
• Provision for Misleading Information: The label must not contain any information that deliberately aims to mislead and deceive the customers, is deemed false, or creates an erroneous impression.
• Height of letters: The height of a letter (words or numerals) cannot be less than 1 mm and when it is folded, formed, blown, or perforated, it must not be less than 2 mm.
• Package with One or More Containers: In case the package contains more than one product, the declaration has to be made in each of these on their wrapper/ container along with outside packaging.

Standards Used in Pre-Packaging under LMPC Rules

In a pre-packaged product, quantity must be expressed in terms of a certain weight or measure to provide accurate and sufficient information to the customers. The weight or measure used in the product can be any of the below mentioned units:

• Volume: If the product is sold by cubic measure or is a liquid, quantity can be expressed in terms of volume (liters and milliliters).
• Area: If the commodity is sold by the measure of area, quantity can be mentioned as square centimeters, square meters, etc.
• Length: If the item is sold by linear measures, such as meters and centimeters, the quantity should be declared in terms of length.
• Mass: In case the pre-packaged product is solid, semi-solid, a mixture of solid or liquid, or viscous, it can specify the quantity in terms of mass (kilograms, grams, milligrams, etc.).
• Number: Items that are not sold by any other measure but by number, such as eggs, electronics, stationary, etc., the quantity should be expressed in terms of number (N or U).

Note: The declaration can be made on a tape, card, tag, or any other similar element, affixed to the customer in such a way that it cannot be taken out/ removed without opening the container.

List of Documents Needed to Apply for LMPC Certificate

LMPC Certificate for Import, manufacturing, and packing requires submission of the following documents:

• Identity proof of applicant (Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Voter ID Card, Passport, etc.)
• Applicant address proof (Aadhar Card, Voter ID Card, any recent Utility Bill)
• GST registration Certificate
• Business Address proof (Lease Agreement, recent utility bill, property tax receipt)
• IEC (Import Export Code) for importers.
• Memorandum of Association or Partnership Deed, depending on the type of company.
• Sample of Packaging, either physical samples of images of the packaging material or label.
• Passport-sized photographs of the company’s directors, proprietors, partners, etc.
• Identity and address proof of authorized personnel.
• PAN card of promoter and firm.
• DSC (Digital Signature Certificate)

Along with these, an applicant might be requested to furnish additional documents depending on the type of applicant and situation. These are as follows:

• Factory License, Trade License, or Manufacturing License.
• No Objection Certificate from Pollution Control Board.
• Receipt of offenses against the applicant.
• List of products for which LMPC certificate is sought.

Note: Every Pre-packaged item is required to adhere to the standard packaging sizes as prescribed in the Second Schedule of LMPC Rules 2011. However, in case a product does not have a standard pack size, it must have a declaration saying ‘non standard size under the Legal Metrology Packaged Commodities Rules 2011’ or ‘Not a standard pack size under the Legal Metrology Packaged Commodities Rules 2011’.

Conclusion

In India, the LMPC Certificate for Import is issued by the Department of Legal Metrology, an office operational under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution. To successfully import the products, customer authorities mandate importers to furnish an LMPC certificate, indicating that the shipment meets the necessary standards of weight, labeling, etc. LMPC certificate empowers customers to make informed decisions while making the purchase, facilitates smoother entry into the Indian markets, and ensures that no unfair trade practices are being followed to deliberately deceive or mislead the customers. Connect with the LMPC Professionals of Legal Raasta to get a better understanding of LMPC regulatory provisions and compliances entities must fulfill to continue their trade and commercial operations.