The Central Government has formally notified Amazon, alleging the e-commerce giant of participating in ‘deceptive trade practices’ concerning the sale of sweets labeled as ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad.’ This move follows a complaint lodged by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), asserting that Amazon is misleading consumers by marketing sweets under the guise of “prasad” from the yet-to-be-inaugurated Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has emphasized that these practices lead consumers astray, influencing their purchasing decisions based on inaccurate representations.
In a released statement, the CCPA expressed concern, stating, ‘Facilitating the online sale of food products with false representations misguides consumers about the authentic characteristics of the product. Such practices unfairly sway consumers into making purchasing decisions they might not have otherwise made, had the accurate attributes of the product been disclosed.’
The specific items under scrutiny on Amazon’s platform include ‘Sri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad – Raghupati Ghee Ladoo,’ ‘Ayodhya Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad,’ ‘Khoya Khobi Ladoo,’ and ‘Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad – Desi Cow Milk Peda,’ among others.
Amazon has been given a seven-day window to provide a response to the notice issued by the CCPA. Failure to comply within this timeframe will result in necessary actions being initiated against the company under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.