ITC fined ₹1 lakh for underdelivering: One biscuit missing in 16-biscuit pack

ITC Limited, a prominent player in the FMCG industry, has been slapped with a hefty fine of ₹1 lakh for an unusual reason – packing one biscuit less in a 16-biscuit "Sun Feast Marie Light" pack. This decision came following a complaint filed by a Chennai-based resident who discovered the discrepancy when he purchased these biscuits to feed stray dogs.

P Dillibabu, a resident of MMDA Mathur in Chennai, bought two packets of 'Sun Feast Marie Light' biscuits in December 2021 from a local retail store. However, when he opened one of the packets, he found only fifteen biscuits instead of the promised sixteen. Despite seeking an explanation from the store, he received no satisfactory response. Consequently, he decided to approach ITC Limited for clarification, but the company's response fell short of addressing his concerns, as reported by the Times of India.

In his complaint, Dillibabu highlighted a startling revelation - ITC's alleged daily practice of cheating the public out of over ₹29 lakh by providing one biscuit less than what was indicated on the packaging. He pointed out that each biscuit cost ₹0.75, and the company manufactured approximately 50 lakh packets daily. Based on these figures, it was estimated that ITC was potentially swindling consumers out of a significant sum every day.

ITC's defense revolved around the claim that the biscuits were sold based on weight rather than the number of biscuits. The packaging mentioned a net weight of 76 grams, but when the biscuit packets were weighed, they consistently contained only 74 grams. This argument, however, failed to sway the consumer court.

Consequently, the consumer court has ordered ITC to pay ₹1 lakh as compensation to Dillibabu for engaging in unfair trade practices. Additionally, the court mandated the discontinuation of sales for the particular batch of biscuits implicated in the case