Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 1: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in coordination with the Navi Mumbai Police Crime Branch, has busted an alleged racket involving the alteration of manufacturing and expiry dates on packaged food products and the sale of expired goods.

The action was carried out during joint inspections conducted between August 24 and 29 at Sadhana Enterprises in the TTC Industrial Area of Turbhe.

Officials allegedly found that manufacturing and expiry dates printed on food packets were being altered or replaced to make expired or unusable products appear suitable for sale. Original labels containing ingredient and nutritional information were also allegedly removed and replaced with new stickers.

The seized stock included popular products such as Maggi, Lay's, Kurkure and Fun Flips, along with Maggi Masala, Atta Noodles and various ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food items.

The FDA seized 8,442 cartons linked to 10 export companies. The stock was valued at Rs 75.21 lac, while unlabelled and expired food products worth another Rs 30,600 were recovered, taking the total value of the seized goods to around Rs 75.52 lac.

Following the inspection, the FDA suspended the licence of Sadhana Enterprises. Samples were also collected from Unique Fragrances and Pristine Worldwide after officials allegedly found that the firms did not possess the required FSSAI licences and purchase bills.

A case has been registered at Turbhe Police Station under relevant provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. A detailed investigation is underway.