Here’s a scary scenario for lovers of expensive foreign sports footwear and other premium products: global star brands like Nike, Adidas, and Puma may vanish from Indian shelves by the end of 2026.

Why? Because all these brands must obtain quality certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). That means the BIS has to physically inspect their factories in different parts of the world and – guess what? They’ve barely started.

But this isn’t just a sneaker showdown. A range of products – 730 to be precise – are now subject to what are called Quality Control Orders (QCOs) and must carry the BIS quality stamp. These include everyday items like pressure cookers, gas stoves, battery cells, mobile chargers as well as industrial products such as cement and steel strips. Crucially, all toys aimed at children under 14 must also be BIS-certified.

This includes Lego, which is world-famous for its quality. The brickmaker argues its products are meant for children over 14 (possibly a stretch) and shouldn’t fall under the toy QCOs. Nevertheless, they’ve been caught up in the dragnet. In September last year, a QCO also added sanitary pads and baby diapers to the BIS list.

If anyone thought the government was bluffing about enforcing quality control orders, they got a rude shock. In a sweeping expansion, the QCO list exploded from 180 to 730 products.

Then, in March, the BIS launched coordinated nationwide raids on Amazon and Flipkart warehouses across cities including Lucknow, Delhi, Gurgaon – and even down south in Coimbatore, Sriperumbudur, and Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu. The BIS seized thousands of items deemed substandard or lacking the BIS quality control seal.

From one Flipkart warehouse, hundreds of sports shoes worth around ₹6 lakh were seized. Shoes and toys were two of the major categories confiscated, alongside stainless steel water bottles – mostly from major manufacturers.

At Tiruvallur, 3,376 items were seized. A Press Information Bureau release stated: “During the search operation, 3,376 nos. of different products without BIS Standard Mark, including Insulated Flasks, Insulated Food Containers, Metallic Potable Water Bottles, Ceiling Fans, Toys worth ₹36 Lakhs were seized.”

The release added: “The firm has violated Section 17 of the BIS Act, 2016 by storing and exhibiting for sale the above products without the BIS Standard Mark on their website.”

One industry expert noted: “BIS is traditionally a regulator that tries to bring people up to standard, not one that leads with raids and seizures. This is a new approach.” Another analyst added: “It’s an organisation that nobody really used to bother with too much.”

The change has been driven in part by commerce minister Piyush Goyal, who’s pushing hard to expand the QCO net.

In theory, the government’s position is sound: products sold in India should meet high standards, as they do in developed countries. But the trouble lies in execution.

To certify quality, BIS officials must visit factories – which are often overseas. Lego, for instance, has plants in Denmark, Hungary, and Mexico. Nike outsources to manufacturers primarily in Vietnam, but also in Indonesia and China. (BIS, incidentally, acknowledges that inspections in China are near-impossible due to diplomatic and logistical constraints.)

Many companies have offered to pay for BIS officials to visit their factories overseas, but such offers have been turned down to avoid accusations of bias in favour of the company footing the travel bill.

So far, BIS inspectors have made only a handful of trips abroad. It’s also true that companies like Lego and Nike serve customers who expect high-quality standards globally, and they can’t afford to let those drop. Even though Lego claims its products are for users over 14 – and therefore not covered by the current QCOs – its items were seized from Amazon and Flipkart warehouses. No reasons have been given for the seizures.

Other tricky issues exist. Some companies import products made by other manufacturers – many in China – again raising inspection challenges.

The retail industry is taking note of the BIS raids on Amazon and Flipkart. If the BIS is willing to raid e-commerce giants, could small shopkeepers be next? Theoretically, the BIS could check if offline retailers are selling items that require its seal of approval. So far, there’s been no such action – but there’s growing anxiety.

A retail expert warned: “Brands fear that if BIS extends raids to offline shops, the entire retail ecosystem could be disrupted. For now, they haven’t done that – but there’s nervousness that they might.”

So why has the government turned so aggressive on quality standards? Obviously, India wants its standards to be world-class and recognized globally. But there’s a subplot. Goyal has been candid about a key motivation: Make in India.

India wants foreign giants to ditch imports from Vietnam or Indonesia and build factories here. Footwear brands are feeling the heat most.

The problem? Companies need large sales volumes to justify setting up plants in India. Plus, India’s not in trade blocs like RCEP (the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), so Indian-made exports face tariffs. And navigating India’s regulatory maze can be a rollercoaster of red tape and complexity.

BIS certification also isn’t a one-and-done deal – approvals must be renewed, creating more layers of uncertainty.

Other nations are watching closely. During UK trade talks, QCOs were flagged as non-tariff barriers. The US has also raised concerns in its negotiations for an India-US trade deal.

There’s no doubt the government’s goal – to make Indian products synonymous with world-class quality – is laudable. But can the QCO regime deliver the win? The government insists it’s on the right track. Many of the biggest global companies beg to differ, calling the system a bureaucratic minefield.