What a consumer should know about a product?

For Edible items and Medicines both Manufacturing & Expiry Date should be known before buying.

Before buying any Electrical & Electronics Products, a consumer must study the details of Star Ratings of the same. Because the star rated product consume less power & are more safest and thus help the consumer in saving money and taking care of safety at all steps.

It is an International Standard to prevent the development and marketing of products which could present health and safety risks to consumers is the goal of the ISO. The projected standard will offer practical guidance to suppliers of consumer goods, so that they can reduce risks associated with their products. It will thus increase consumer confidence, while promoting trade and competitiveness. It provides the product or service details such as label,safety and quality.

Manufacturing date/expiry/ingredients (food), allergies (texture/fabric/cosmetics etc), technology/specifications (Like automobile/electronics), certifications, market reports,manufacturer/brand, efficiency/economy, value for money, product life/service, after sales service etc & last but not the least, should match with your particular need.

Hi,

One may be knowing that Parle Agro has launched a new wheat snack with the name Hippo (Positioned as a healthy snack vis-a-vis Aliva). Hippo being a animal (its considered as a lazy animal) how can a consumer relate his/her hunger with this snack?

As a consumer, I would want to know all about the commodity i am procuring. Alas, there is no system today, which can give me ON SPOT information of the commodity, except beatiful eye catching lables and sweet talk by the sellers. I have mentioned this in one of my notings earlier. Unless otherwise the consumers demand the RIGHT to INFORMATION about the product, all awareness programs will be futile.

As an example, how am I to know that an edible oil sachet purchased is genuine? afterall it claims that it protects heart and health as claimed by the media and publicity of the company. Visualise about having a system, that can give me the details and information ON SPOT of this sachet such as manufacturer, date of packaging, content, Licensed or not to package by company's outsourced packager, Validity, the MRP etc. I am infact working on this kind of system and would like the people to know that it could be introduced subject to demands by the consumer himself. I am sure it will revolutionise the consumerism across platform.

The government and commerce department MUST ensure that the CONSUMER has the FIRST RIGHT to seek information about its bonafide content, either prior to or after the purchase. As such multiple taxes are collected by the governments. Should I have the right to such Information?.... decide NOW.... Grahak Jago....

Dear Toostepians, I must add the following to enlighten the seriousness of this subject. Should you need any further information please do contact. I am a customer too......

Press Clips for reference

Problem areas A list of possible factors contributing to proliferation of spurious drugs, according to the Mashelkar Committee Report

1.  1. Lack of enforcement of existing laws;
2. 2. Weak penal action;
3. 3. Very remunerative trade;
4. 4. Large-scale sickness in small scale pharmaceutical industry;
5. 5. Availability of improved printing technology that helps counterfeiting;
6. 6. Lack of coordination between various agencies;
7. 7. Too many retail and wholesale outlets;
8. 8. Inadequate cooperation between stakeholders;
9. 9. Lack of control by importing/ exporting countries;
10. 10. Widespread corruption and conflict of interests.

The report does not provide any data on the extent of this problem and reasons thereof. According to the Health Ministry, there are over 0.35 million sales outlets in the country (November 2002 data).

 This appears as a casual statement in the report with no evidence of any effort at obtaining data from importing countries on rejected consignments, their sources, and so on. Even accepting the absence of controls - highly unlikely, given the nature of countries that are likely to export to India - in the exporting countries, this also points to the absence of testing mechanisms at the Indian ports.

Refer :  http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2018/stories/20030912008112200.htm

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Intl agencies to be roped in to check fake drugs

Press Trust Of India / New Delhi August 10, 2009, 0:53 IST

 Cracking down on the growing menace of spurious drugs, the government will introduce measures including roping in of private detective agencies, setting up a separate intelligence network and a reward of up to Rs 25 lakh for informers.

Steps are also being taken to set up drug testing centers at various ports, besides offering rebates in ceiling price to drug manufacturers adopting latest packing technology to counter the menace, official sources said.

The government will set up a separate intelligence-cum-legal cell in the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and, if necessary, help of private detective agencies will also be taken to unearth activities of people involved in the estimated Rs 17,500-crore fake and spurious drug manufacturing business, they said.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has already announced a reward for those who provide information on fake drugs. Under this scheme, people may earn up to a maximum of Rs 25 lakh as reward, they said, adding that modalities were being worked out. Azad, during his tenure as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, had announced a reward for providing information about those who threw grenades in public places. The scheme paid off and the grenade throwing ended by and large.

Refer :  http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/intl-agencies-to-be-roped-in-to-check-fake-drugs/366485/

Deasr friends, all pre-packed foods must give a list of ingredients. Always check the ingredients on a food product to see if it contains the food you need to avoid. As well as the ingredients list, many food products have a statement or an allergy advice box on the label saying they contain a certain food, for example nuts, milk or eggs. But it isn't compulsory for food labels to give this type of statement. So if there isn't an allergy statement on the label, don't assume the product is free from the food you are sensitive to. Always check the ingredients.