Expired Food Relabelling Racket Busted in Thane, Rs 52 Lakh Stock Seized
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has uncovered an interstate racket that was recirculating expired and damaged food items back into the commercial market, an official confirmed on Monday.
During raids at establishments in Bhiwandi town of Thane district, FDA authorities seized illegal food stock valued at over Rs 52 lakh, the official said.
In one operation, the FDA suspended the food safety licence of a warehouse in Saravali after discovering 1.5 tonnes of unbilled, expired food items worth Rs 1.67 lakh. Separately, the Nizampura police intercepted an interstate truck carrying 1,200 kg of expired flour and branded products worth Rs 5.18 lakh without valid invoices.
Raids at eight establishments in Bhiwandi yielded undocumented, expired stock worth Rs 45.74 lakh.
According to the FDA, the syndicate's modus operandi involved large e-commerce and logistics firms hiring unauthorised scrap agencies, which fabricated disposal certificates and covertly diverted expired food products to unregistered warehouses. Operators then used chemicals to erase original expiry dates, applied counterfeit manufacturing stickers, and resold the products at discounted rates.
FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe warned that logistics firms violating newly issued stringent disposal norms—including mandatory geo-tagged video tracking and separate locked zones for expired goods—will face immediate, permanent license cancellation and criminal prosecution.
