Delhi High Court Issues Notice On PIL Seeking QR Codes On Medicinal And Food Products For Visually Impaired Persons

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice on a public interest litigation seeking affixation of QR Codes on all medicinal and food products to help visually impaired persons in identifying such products and access all relevant information.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad sought response of Union Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Social Justice and Empowerment and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

The plea has been moved by Kapila and Nirmal Hingorani Foundation, a public trust, and two visually impaired individuals working as Associate Professor and Senior Assistant Professor in University of Delhi. Advocate Aman Hingorani represents the petitioners.

The plea submits that affixing QR Codes on all medicinal products would increase the efficacy of medical care for visually impaired patients by reducing medication errors, incorrect dosages, unintended drug interactions and side effects.

“Apart from the substantial medical benefits, the use of QR Codes would also result in several social, economic and environmental benefits as stated in the Petition. Moreover, the addition of QR Codes to medicinal products could help combat the growing menace of counterfeit and substandard medicines which represent an enormous public health challenge, besides causing financial loss and damage to the reputation of trusted pharmaceutical companies,” the plea states.

The PIL seeks affixation of QR Code on labels of food products to provide information about manufacturing and expiry dates, list of ingredients and nutritional facts, as required to be furnished by Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 read with its Regulations.

“Suitable measures ought to be taken in respect of labels of food products to provide access to information through QR Codes about these products, including manufacturing and expiry dates, list of ingredients and nutritional facts, in the manner required to be furnished by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 read with the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations. Similar measures should be taken through QR Codes in respect of labelling and packing of cosmetics under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 and other consumer products,” the plea adds.

Title: The Kapila & Nirmal Hingorani Foundation & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.