Activists accuse sweet shops of overcharging for packaging weight

As the festive season kicks off, a consumer grievance has spotlighted a long-standing malpractice among sweet shop owners in Ludhiana—charging customers for the weight of packaging boxes along with sweets.

Social activists have urged the Department of Legal Metrology to intervene and ensure fair trade practices under the Weights and Measures Act.

In a formal complaint addressed to the Assistant Controller of the Legal Metrology Department, activists Arvind Sharma and Prof Narinder Singh Masson alleged that many confectioners were selling sweets like ladoos, milk cake and kaju burfi at fixed rates—Rs 280, Rs 500, Rs 1,000 per kilogram—without deducting the weight of the box or container from the sum. This, they argued, amounted to cheating and violated consumer protection norms.

“Customers are unknowingly paying for cardboard and plastic. The box weight is being maliciously included in the total, which is illegal and unethical,” said Arvind, a resident of SBS Nagar and a long-time consumer rights advocate.

The activists have demanded that the department launch an awareness drive to educate consumers about their rights and instruct shopkeepers to weigh sweets separately from the packaging material. They also called for strict enforcement and penalties for violators.

“With Rakhi today and other festivals around the corner, thousands of families will be buying sweets. The authorities concerned must act now to prevent mass-scale overcharging,” said Prof Masson.

Legal experts say that under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, traders are required to ensure that only the net weight of the product is charged, excluding packaging unless explicitly priced and disclosed.

“This is a clear case of deceptive trade practice. The department must conduct surprise checks and penalise offenders,” said advocate Meena Bansal, who specialises in consumer law.