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Govt Proposes Mandatory 'Country of Origin' Filters for E-Commerce Platforms

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Govt Mandates Origin Filters - Business Honor

Business Honor
11 November, 2025

Government plans rule for e-commerce sites to show country-of-origin filters that can help boost transparency and local products.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has issued a proposal for the Draft Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) (Second) Amendment Rules, 2025, which envisages notable amendments to the existing Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. As per the draft, any e-commerce business site, dealing with imported products, will be required to provide a searchable and sortable filter 'based on country of origin' for every packaged commodity listed on their sites. The ministry, on the other hand, has mentioned that this amendment aims to improve transparency and consumer awareness in the fast-growing digital market.

The 'country of origin', which the proposed functionality makes easier to locate, would enable consumers to make better informed purchasing decisions, without having to go through the listings one by one. The suggested changes thus align with the broader objectives of the Government respective of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Vocal for Local' campaigns that aim to promote Indian goods and encourage domestic market. The committee believes that the provision for the country of origin filter will equalize consumers' visibility of Indian manufactured products and imported goods. This will, in turn, promote conscious decision-making by consumers to select goods that are manufactured locally to improve the economy, thereby reducing dependency on imports.

Along with helping consumers and local enterprises, the proposed changes will facilitate regulatory authorities to better monitor compliance, since they will have structured digital filters available to more easily validate product details, identify compliance issues, and track down violations without relying on extensive manual audits. The draft is currently posted on the Department of Consumer Affairs website for public consultation. Stakeholders (including e-commerce companies, manufacturers and consumers) are welcome to provide comments and recommendations about the proposal until November 22, 2025 and the regulatory staff will consider that input before finalizing the new regulations.