It’s crazy to think that this law just came into effect. The basic knowledge of how to use a product and the side effects are just now being translated for all products into Myanmar both local and foreign. This is automatic in most countries but Myanmar having laws dating back to the 1800’s and early 1900’s is just now getting to these to change.
It’s felt almost everywhere in Myanmar. A feeling that you are on your own. No one is there to protect you and there are no guarantees attached to anything. Even if a guarantee exists it’s backed up by nothing. This is why this is so refreshing to see not only to locals but also foreigners. These laws are good for competition, educating the consumer, and the obvious protection of consumers from companies that don’t care about them.
Companies are now scrambling to meet these laws within the appointed time of the end of December. If you or anyone in your network need translation services to translate your goods labeling or anything please reach out to us. We are here to help in making your transition a smooth one and see that you fulfill your requirement by law.
Here’s the Law:
🔷As of March 15, 2019, the Myanmar government enacted the new consumer protection law which will bring a lot of clarity to previously unclear laws. Giving consumers more rights and making clear what’s expected of business owners. The new label law (where all products have to have labels in Burmese) will come into effect later this year.
Here are the most notable changes to the law:
🔷Label Requirements
Trademark
Generic Name of goods, size, net weight, quantity, storage instructions, and directions for use;
Manufacturing date, expiration date, and batch number;
If the goods are imported, name and address of the importer and manufacturer;
Place of production, and place of repackaging for imported goods;
Name, type, and quantity of raw materials and ratio of the ingredients;
Side effects, allergy alert and/or warning; and
Any other facts required by relevant government departments.
Requirements (2) and (7) must be displayed in Myanmar language and can be displayed jointly with one or more languages.
There is a one-year grace period to fulfill this last requirement.
🔷Guarantees relating to goods and services
Musts:
-Information on the acceptable, correct, and useable qualities of the product.
-Natural transformation of goods
- Safety and product labels
- Spare parts; and the repair and exchange of goods.
🔷Entrepreneur must provide the agreed-upon service value to the customer and complete the service within the guarantee period.
🔷Consumer Claims
Consumers now have the right to claim for exchange, refund, and compensation for damages.
🔷Who’s Responsible
If the product is damaged or damage was caused by the product of service during guarantee period, the distributor, manufacturer, and trademark owner, and service provider will be liable.
Contact us if you need assistance in complying to the new consumer protection law.