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🇸🇬 Singapore /Health & Science

India busts operation falsifying expiry dates and nutrition labels on exported food

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Indian authorities raided an illegal Mumbai operation that allegedly replaced expiry dates and nutrition labels on branded food products for export.
  • Officials seized nearly $80,000 worth of goods, including Lay’s, Maggi, Knorr, Hellmann’s, Thums Up and Limca products, along with chemicals and relabelling equipment.
  • Maharashtra food officials said most products were expired or near expiry, but the destination countries were unclear.

Inside a dirty warehouse in Navi Mumbai, officials found chemicals for erasing dates, machines for printing replacement labels and nearly 5,000 cartons of familiar food products. The stock included PepsiCo’s Lay’s and Kurkure chips, Nestle’s Maggi noodles, Unilever’s Knorr soup and Hellmann’s mayonnaise, and Coca-Cola’s Thums Up and Limca drinks.

Indian authorities raided the operation on Aug. 25 after a six-day investigation. Reuters photographers who entered the warehouse saw packets with manufacturers’ original information removed. Officials said a chemical solvent had been used to erase dates from the packaging.

The warehouse was operated by privately owned Sadhana Enterprises in an industrial area about 25 kilometers from Mumbai’s international airport. Its owner said the company performed the relabelling for 19 little-known exporters, according to a Maharashtra government media release and a police case document.

I am absolutely shocked by the scale. It is like organised activity. It’s been done systematically.

· Tukaram MundheMaharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration chief described the suspected relabelling operation to Reuters.

Officials said most of the products were expired or close to expiry. The case document said that changing the dates meant “harmful food products are being exported for sale, thereby defrauding customers.” The authorities did not identify the countries that were due to receive the goods, although all the stock had been prepared for export. At least one replacement PepsiCo label seen by Reuters used both English and French.

Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration has intensified inspections under its new head, Tukaram Mundhe. Mundhe said he was “absolutely shocked by the scale” of the warehouse operation and described it as systematic. PepsiCo, Nestle, Hindustan Unilever and Coca-Cola did not respond to requests for comment. Calls to the warehouse’s co-owners went unanswered, and it was unclear whether anyone had been arrested.

harmful food products are being exported for sale, thereby defrauding customers

· Maharashtra police case documentThe document described the alleged effect of changing expiry dates on the products.
About this summary

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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