FDA and Navi Mumbai Police Bust Food Expiry Date Tampering Racket, Seize Goods Worth ₹76 Lakh

Authorities in Maharashtra have busted a food packaging racket in Navi Mumbai that altered manufacturing and expiry dates on export products. The joint operation by the FDA and the Navi Mumbai police's Crime Branch led to the seizure of food stock worth over ₹75 lakh and the registration of an FIR against the involved parties.

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), in a joint operation with the Navi Mumbai police's Crime Branch, has busted a major food packaging racket operating in the Turbhe area of Navi Mumbai. The crackdown, conducted between August 24 and 29, targeted an establishment identified as M/s Sadhna Enterprises.

According to an official release by the FDA, the establishment was found storing, repacking, and illegally tampering with the labels of export products linked to 10 prominent exporter companies based in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Noida. The operation involved erasing original manufacturing and expiry dates from packaging, printing new dates, and placing fresh stickers over the original ingredient and nutritional information to resell expired stock.

The seized inventory included popular snacks, beverages, and instant foods such as wafers, potato chips, noodles of a popular brand, soup, mayonnaise packets, and cans of major aerated drink brands. Authorities seized 4,942 cartons of food stock valued at ₹75,21,269, alongside unlabeled and expired goods valued at ₹1,30,600, bringing the total value of seized items to over ₹76 lakh.

Additionally, authorities collected samples of certain products due to the absence of required FSSAI licenses and purchase bills. Following the raid, the food license of M/s Sadhna Enterprises was immediately suspended by the FDA.

An First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at the Turbhe police station against the partners of the establishment and associated exporters under various sections of the Food Safety and Standards Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Commenting on the crackdown, the FDA stated that the government in Maharashtra remains extremely strict regarding food quality and law enforcement. The administration emphasized that compromising the health of consumers and the general public will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and strict legal action will continue against entities storing or selling expired or tampered food items.

"This case highlights critical compliance and supply chain vulnerabilities that businesses must monitor closely. For companies operating in the food and consumer goods sectors, maintaining strict oversight over contract manufacturers, packaging partners, and secondary distribution channels is vital. Regulatory bodies are increasingly tightening enforcement against label tampering and expired stock manipulation, making transparent compliance and traceable supply chains non-negotiable for long-term business sustainability." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes