Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Tukaram Mundhe was left stunned by the alleged food-label tampering operation that was discovered in Navi Mumbai. One firm was found to be altering expiry dates and nutritional information of packaged food items that are to be exported.

FDA along with Turbhe police conducted a raid and arrested the 12 people in the case. Nearly 5,000 cartons of packaged food worth around Rs 75.21 lakh were seized during the raid. The authorities said that chemicals to scratch off the original manufacturing and expiry dates and machines to print new information were also recovered. Action has been taken against 12 people in relation to the alleged racket.

The raid came after the Crime Branch’s Central Cell received intelligence about the original expiry dates of various food items being removed and replaced with comparatively later dates. Senior Inspector Ajay Shinde conducted the search of the warehouse in the presence of the media on 24 August and found food items meant for relabelling. As per the police case document, the original manufacturing and expiry dates of the items were either scratched off or removed by chemical action, and fresh dates were printed and pasted. The police also allegedly recovered stock of labels and other machinery used for the alleged activity. Mundhe said that the racket was systematic and well-organized, and expressed his shock at the large-scale operation.

The police said that several items recovered from the warehouse had already expired or was about to expire. The investigating agencies allegedly found products with future manufacturing dates, questioning the authenticity of the given information.

Alleged fraud also involved changing nutritional and ingredient information of the items. FDA found several labels that were supposedly altered to fulfill the specific needs of foreign markets. Nestle’s Maggi noodles and PepsiCo’s Kurkure were among the items whose labels were changed. The altered Maggi packet included the “Product of India” information, while one of the Kurkure packets was found to have a bilingual English-French label, with modified ingredient quantity, calorie information, and serving size.

Lay’s, Kurkure, Maggi Masala Noodles, Knorr Mushroom Soup, Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Thums Up, and Limca were among the other famous brands whose products were allegedly relabelled and ready for export.

The warehouse is reported to be owned by Sadhana Enterprises. As per the government’s release and police case document, the accused company’s owner claimed to be working for 19 exporters. Following the raid, FDA conducted the paperwork and took action against 12 people in relation to the case.

It is noteworthy that the police case does not involve PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-Cola, or Unilever in the alleged tampering activity. The authorities clarified that the investigation revolved around the activities conducted in the warehouse.

Mundhe emphasized the need for greater responsibility from companies to ensure that their brand, packing, and sales of food items comply with relevant guidelines and regulations. This includes monitoring the sales of branded items in foreign markets.