Department of Consumer Affairs Proposes Mandatory ‘Country of Origin’ Filter on E Commerce Platforms

On November 10, 2025, the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) issued the Draft Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) (Second) Amendment Rules, 2025, proposing that e commerce platforms be required to provide a searchable and sortable “country of origin” filter for packaged commodities sold online. While existing law already mandates disclosure of the country of origin for imported products, this proposal goes a step further by making such information operationally usable through platform-level filters, enabling consumers to quickly identify and compare products based on their origin.

• Objective and Application

The proposal seeks to strengthen consumer choice and transparency in the digital marketplace by making “country of origin” information visible and discoverable. The draft rules apply to e‑commerce entities selling imported products and would require them to integrate a dedicated filter alongside product listings.

• Historical Development: Country of Origin Requirements So Far

Historically, India has regulated country‑of‑origin declarations primarily through packaging and consumer‑protection laws, with e‑commerce brought into the fold over time:

1. 1. Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011: These rules governed the packaging and labelling of pre-packed commodities and mandating that in the case of imported packaged products, inter alia, the country of origin, and manufacturer details must be declared on the physical package. This obligation was aimed at offline retail but set the baseline requirement for all imported pre‑packaged commodities.

1. 2. Consumer Protection (E‑Commerce) Rules, 2020: Under these rules, marketplace sellers and e‑commerce entities were required to disclose key product information to consumers at the pre‑purchase stage, including country of origin, details of the importer (for imported goods), return, refund, warranty, and grievance redressal information. In practice, this meant that e‑commerce platforms had to display country‑of‑origin information, but there was no explicit requirement to offer a filter or sorting tool based on such attribute.

1. 3. Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) (Second Amendment) Rules, 2022: The rules mandated that in case of an electronic product which is manufactured or packed or imported after July 15, 2022, the packaging should declare the name of the manufacturer and such information shall be available on a QR code, which the customers can scan for the address and other related information.

• What is New in the 2025 Proposal?

The 2025 draft amendment operationalizes the obligation to declare country of origin for the digital environment by:

1. 1. Mandating a Platform-Level Filter: Every e‑commerce entity selling imported products would be required to provide a searchable and sortable filter for country of origin along with their product listings. Consumers would be able to search and sort products rather than scanning each listing manually.

1. 2. Targeted at Imported Products: The proposed proviso is framed specifically for imported commodities, ensuring that origin information for non‑domestically produced items is especially prominent and easily identifiable.

1. 3. Consumer Empowerment & Policy Alignment: The filter is explicitly positioned as a tool to:
      • help consumers make informed purchasing decisions by quickly understanding where products come from; and
      • highlight “Made in India” products more discoverable and competitive in search results.

1. 4. Regulatory Monitoring Benefits: By structuring country‑of‑origin data in a standardized, filter‑compatible way, regulators will find it easier to monitor compliance, verify claims, and detect violations at scale without manually reviewing each listing.

Conclusion

DoCA’s proposal marks a shift from mere disclosure of country of origin to functional transparency in the e‑commerce ecosystem. Earlier laws ensured that origin information appeared somewhere on the package or product page; the new draft rules seek to ensure that this information is central to the online shopping experience, both for consumers and regulators. If finalized in its current form, e‑commerce platforms will need to upgrade their product‑information architectures and search interfaces to integrate a robust “Country of Origin” filter, while sellers must ensure accurate tagging of products to avoid regulatory action and consumer backlash.