Shocking Discovery: Illegal Warehouse in Navi Mumbai Altering Food Products for Export
Raid Uncovers Extensive Food Fraud Operation
Mumbai: Authorities in India have uncovered an illegal warehouse in Navi Mumbai that was involved in the manipulation of expiry dates and nutritional information on products from major brands like PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-Cola, and Hindustan Unilever for international export.
Following a six-day investigation, food safety officials confiscated goods valued at approximately $80,000. They found chemical solvents used to erase original expiry dates, along with printing equipment designed to create counterfeit replacements, and falsified ingredient labels for popular items such as Lay’s chips, Kurkure, and Maggi noodles. The Maharashtra government has ramped up its food safety initiatives under the leadership of FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe, who expressed his astonishment at the scale of the operation, describing it as organized crime.
The owner of the warehouse claimed that they modified packaging for 19 different exporters. Officials reported that the majority of the products were either expired or close to their expiration dates. According to police documents, these hazardous food items were being exported, misleading consumers in the process. While the specific destination countries are not yet known, the stock was exclusively intended for export, with at least one reprinted label on a PepsiCo product featuring both English and French.
Authorities seized nearly 5,000 cartons, which included Lay’s from PepsiCo, Maggi from Nestle, Knorr soups from Unilever, and Thums Up cans from Coca-Cola. The original dates were scratched off using a chemical solvent, and workers utilized a computer-linked printing machine to directly print new manufacturing and expiry dates onto the packaging and cans. Some packs even bore a future manufacturing date of October 2, 2026. Additionally, fake nutritional labels were affixed to original packaging to comply with foreign regulations, with one Maggi sample featuring a false nutrition label to make it appear 'export-ready.'