Rule 6 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Sub-rules (5) to (9) of rule 6 deal with five separate situations: packs with several components, leftover packing material, packages containing genetically modified food, the red, brown or green dot on cosmetics and toiletries, and labels stuck on imported packages.
For a multi-component commodity the declarations go on the main package, which also lists the other packs; spare parts need all declarations on each package. A package containing genetically modified food must show the words "GM" at the top of its principal display panel. Soaps, shampoos, tooth pastes and other cosmetics and toiletries must show a red or brown dot for non-vegetarian origin and a green dot for vegetarian origin. Importers may affix a label on imported packages to make the declarations.
Reading these sub-rules
The text used here is the Packaged Commodities Rules as amended up to G.S.R. 226(E) of 28 March 2022. Each sub-rule was added at a different time, and the source records the amending notification against it. If your goods are food or cosmetics, other laws sit beside these rules; our FSSAI label compliance service looks at the food side, and we do not state food label rules that are not in the sources.
Rule 6(5): multi-component commodities
Where a commodity consists of a number of components packed in two or more units for sale as a single commodity, the declarations required by sub-rule (1) shall appear on the main package, and that package shall also carry information about the other accompanying packages. The alternative is that the declarations may be given on the individual packages, with an intimation to that effect on the main package. If the components are sold as spare parts, all declarations shall be given on each package.
| Case | Where the declarations go |
|---|---|
| Components sold together as one commodity | On the main package, which also carries information on the accompanying packages |
| Same case, other route | On each individual package, with intimation on the main package |
| Components sold as spare parts | All declarations on each package |
The text does not define "main package" or "component", so a kit of unlike goods, such as a shaving set, should be judged against the wording.
Rule 6(6): old packing material
Sub-rule (6) was inserted by G.S.R. 318(E) of 13 April 2011. It allowed packaging material or wrapper that could not be exhausted to be used up to a date, or until exhausted if earlier, after making corrections required by the Rules by stamping, sticker or online printing. The date printed first is 30 September 2011, and a footnote says the words "upto 31st March 2012" were substituted by G.S.R. 734(E) of 30 September 2011. It is a transitional provision whose period has ended, so it offers no help to current stock.
Rule 6(7): genetically modified food
Sub-rule (7) says every package containing the genetically modified food shall bear "at the top of its principle display panel the words 'GM'". It was inserted by G.S.R. 427(E) of 5 June 2012 and came into force on 1 January 2013. The source spells "principle" for "principal".
The sub-rule does not define genetically modified food, and it does not refer to the food law on GM products. We do not add rules from food law here. What the sub-rule requires on its own is the two letters "GM" at the top of the principal display panel, which is the area described in rule 7.
Rule 6(8): red, brown and green dots
Sub-rule (8) says every package containing soaps, shampoos, tooth pastes and other cosmetics and toiletries shall bear at the top of its principal display panel:
- a red or brown dot for products of non-vegetarian origin; and
- a green dot for products of vegetarian origin.
It was inserted by a notification dated 15 June 2014 (the source prints it as "G.S.R. 137") and came into force on 1 July 2014. Two limits are clear from the text.
- The sub-rule is limited to soaps, shampoos, tooth pastes and other cosmetics and toiletries. It does not say it covers food; the source does not extend it to food packages.
- It gives two choices for non-vegetarian origin (red or brown) and one for vegetarian (green). The text does not give a size or shape for the dot, so the size rules in rule 7 for numerals and letters do not obviously apply to it.
Cosmetics are also subject to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, which the provisos to rule 6(1)(d) mention for dates. Those rules are not in the sources, so we do not describe them.
Rule 6(9): labels on imported packages
Sub-rule (9) reads: "Without prejudice to the provisions contained in this rule, it shall be permissible to affix a label on imported packages for making the declarations required under these rules." It was inserted by G.S.R. 385(E) of 14 May 2015 and came into force on 1 July 2016.
It allows an importer to supply declarations by a label stuck on the imported package rather than printing them in the country of manufacture. Two points follow.
- The label must make the declarations required under the Rules, including the importer's name and address and the country of origin under rule 6(1)(a) and (aa). See our article on those clauses.
- The sub-rule says "without prejudice" to the rest of rule 6, and it sits beside sub-rule (3), which bars individual stickers. Sub-rule (9) is the specific permission for imported packages. Importers must also be registered under section 19 of the Act; see sections 19 and 20 and our importer registration service.
Practical examples
Example 1. A barber kit is sold with a razor, a brush and a soap in separate cartons. The declarations can appear on the main carton with information about the other cartons, or on each carton with an intimation on the main carton.
Example 2. A herbal toothpaste is vegetarian in origin. Sub-rule (8) requires a green dot at the top of the principal display panel.
Example 3. A consignment of imported stationery arrives without Indian declarations. Sub-rule (9) lets the importer affix a label making the required declarations before sale.
Need help with dots, GM words or import labels?
Import relabelling and dot placement are simple to get wrong on the first print run. Our FSSAI label compliance service can check your artwork and your relabelling plan with you.
Key takeaways
- Multi-component packs carry the declarations on the main package or on each pack with intimation; spare parts carry all declarations on each package.
- Sub-rule (6) on old packing material was transitional and has lapsed.
- Packages containing genetically modified food show "GM" at the top of the principal display panel.
- Soaps, shampoos, tooth pastes and other cosmetics and toiletries carry a red or brown (non-vegetarian) or green (vegetarian) dot at the top of the panel.
- Importers may affix a label on imported packages to make the required declarations.
Read next
- Rule 6 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Consumer care details, stickers and barcodes
- Rule 6 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: E-commerce declarations
- Rule 7 of the Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Principal display panel
- Importer registration under Legal Metrology
Disclaimer: Based on the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 (as amended up to March 2022; check later amendments), read with the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (Act 1 of 2010), as on 30 September 2026. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (in force) and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (in force only from the date the Central Government notifies) amend the Act's penalty sections, not rule 6. State Legal Metrology rules, later amendments and notifications change; verify the current position before acting.