Maharashtra food officials seized nearly $80,000 worth of products after uncovering chemicals, printing machines and thousands of cartons allegedly being relabelled for export
Indian authorities have busted an illegal operation in Navi Mumbai that allegedly altered expiry dates and nutritional information on food products made by major global companies including PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-Cola and Unilever, in a case that has raised fresh questions over food safety and supply-chain controls, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized goods worth nearly $80,000 after a six-day investigation at a warehouse in Navi Mumbai, Reuters reported. Officials found chemicals allegedly used to erase original expiry dates and ingredient labels, along with machines used to print and apply replacement labels.
According to the report, the operation involved products including PepsiCo’s Lay’s and Kurkure chips, Nestle’s Maggi noodles, Unilever’s Knorr Mushroom Soup and Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, and Coca-Cola’s Thums Up and Limca. Nearly 5,000 cartons were found at the warehouse.
The warehouse was operated by privately owned Sadhana Enterprises in an industrial area of Navi Mumbai, about 25 km from Mumbai’s international airport. According to a Maharashtra government media release and a police case document, the owner said the operation was being carried out on behalf of 19 little-known exporters.
Expired products allegedly prepared for export
Most of the products found at the warehouse were either expired or close to expiry, the report said.
The police case document, as reported by Reuters, said changing the dates could result in potentially harmful food products being exported for sale and defraud consumers.
More from BusinessHow the labels were allegedly changed
According to the report, an operator would enter fake manufacturing and expiry dates using a stylus on a computer screen. Workers would then use a printing machine to produce replacement labels for food packets and cans.
The police document said original manufacturing and expiry dates had been scratched out or erased before new information was printed over them.
The investigation also found evidence that nutritional information had been altered.
Mundhe told Reuters that some products had been given a future manufacturing date of October 2, 2026, even though they were found inside the warehouse during the August investigation.
Reuters also found dozens of Maggi cartons, including a sample where a fake nutritional label had been pasted over the original packaging. The altered packaging described the product as “Product of India” for export.
A Kurkure packet carried a bilingual English-French nutrition label. According to Reuters, the modified label reduced the stated quantity of cereal products in the ingredients by 10% and changed the declared calories and serving size, apparently to align the product with foreign regulations.
Global companies not accused in police case
The police case does not accuse PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-Cola or Unilever of wrongdoing, the report said.
Calls to warehouse co-owners Jayprakash Sanchatiram Singh and Jaya Navrang Bahadur Singh were not answered. It was not immediately clear whether anyone had been arrested in connection with the case.
Mundhe, however, said companies needed to take greater responsibility for what happens across their supply chains. “Everybody needs to take this seriously,” he told Reuters, stressing that companies must ensure that branding, packaging and sale of products comply with regulations.
