ITC's One Biscuit Blunder Costs Them Rs 1 Lakh. Here’s How

ITC Limited has been ordered to pay a consumer Rs 1 lakh for packaging one biscuit less than advertised on a Sunfeast Marie Light packet.

The case unfolded when P Dillibabu, a Chennai resident, purchased a packet of ITC's Sunfeast Marie Light biscuits to feed to stray dogs, but noted that, despite the fact that the package stated 16 biscuits, the pack contained only 15 biscuits.

Following this, Dillibabu sought an explanation from his local store as well as ITC but could not obtain a satisfactory response.

He filed a complaint with a consumer court. In his complaint, he explained that the company was cheating consumers of Rs 29 lakh every day, as ITC manufactures 50 lakh packets of biscuits a day, where each biscuits costs 75 paisa.

ITC argued that biscuits are sold by weight rather than number and the net weight stated on each Sunfeast Marie Light packet is 76 grams. The court, however, determined that each pack of 15 biscuits weighed only 74 grams.

The company then claimed that the 2011 Legal Metrology Rules allowed for a maximum difference of 4.5 grams in pre-packaged goods.

However, the court rejected this reasoning, stating that such exemptions are only acceptable for volatile products, which lose weight over time.