MUMBAI: India’s counterfeit problem has hit a new level of urgency. On World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, the Consumer Online Foundation (COF) fired a sharp warning: fake and illicit products are no longer just a brand-protection headache but a full-blown public health emergency and economic threat.
The numbers back that up. A May 2025 report by the OECD and the European Union Intellectual Property Office puts global trade in counterfeit and pirated goods at $467 billion, accounting for 2.3 per cent of global imports. Closer to home, a 2025 report by the Authentication Solution Providers’ Association, produced in collaboration with CRISIL, found that nearly one in three Indian consumers encountered a counterfeit product in the past year.
The problem spans an alarming range of everyday goods: medicines, cosmetics, food items such as paneer, ghee, spices and edible oils, electrical goods, batteries, automotive parts, cigarettes and digital devices. Illicit products typically bypass regulatory, taxation and quality-control systems entirely, leaving consumers with no safety net.
E-commerce has made things considerably worse. Online aggregator platforms now account for 53 per cent of counterfeit purchases in India, according to the ASPA-CRISIL report, turning digital marketplaces into the favoured highway for illicit trade.
Bejon Kumar Misra, founder trustee of COF and the internationally recognised consumer policy expert who conceived the iconic Jago Grahak Jago campaign under his leadership as chairman of the Consumer Coordination Council, pulled no punches. “Counterfeit and illicit products, ranging from medicines and cosmetics to electrical goods, can expose consumers to serious quality, safety and health risks,” he said. “The impact goes beyond consumers, affecting legitimate businesses, government revenues and the economy.”
The damage is indeed broad. Fake goods weaken legitimate businesses, choke innovation, erode brand value and drain tax revenues, while placing mounting pressure on enforcement agencies and hollowing out consumer trust.
COF, India’s only ISO 9001:2015 certified voluntary consumer organisation for complaint redressal services, has helped resolve grievances for more than one million consumers. It is calling for stronger enforcement, tighter digital monitoring, better market surveillance and closer coordination between regulators, industry and civil society.
The message from COF is unambiguous: informed consumers are the first line of defence. But with fakes flooding both physical shelves and digital carts, they cannot be expected to fight this battle alone.
