Indian authorities have raided an illegal warehouse in Mumbai where expiry dates and nutritional information on food products from major global brands were allegedly erased and replaced for export.
The six-day operation in Navi Mumbai uncovered nearly 5,000 cartons of consumer products, including Lay’s and Kurkure chips, Maggi noodles, Knorr Mushroom Soup, Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, and Coca-Cola’s Thums Up and Limca drinks.
Reuters was given exclusive access to the warehouse last week as Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials investigated the operation and seized goods worth nearly $80,000.
Officials found chemicals allegedly used to remove original expiry and manufacturing dates from food packaging. Machines were also discovered for printing and applying replacement labels.
Maharashtra FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe said he was shocked by the scale of the operation, describing it as a systematic and organised activity.
“I am absolutely shocked by the scale. It is like organised activity. It’s been done systematically,” Mundhe told Reuters on Tuesday.
According to a police case document, original manufacturing and expiry dates had been scratched out or erased before new information was printed over them.
Officials said most of the products found at the warehouse were either expired or close to their expiry dates.
The warehouse, operated by privately owned Sadhana Enterprises, was allegedly carrying out the activities for 19 little-known exporters, according to a state government release and police documents.
The products were reportedly intended entirely for export, although authorities said they had not established the countries they were destined for.
Fake nutrition labels discovered
Investigators also uncovered altered nutrition and ingredient labels on some products.
One Maggi package had a modified nutrition sticker pasted over the original information, while a PepsiCo Kurkure packet carried an English-French bilingual label.
Reuters found that one fake Kurkure label reduced the quantity of cereal products listed in the ingredients by 10% and changed the calorie and serving-size information, apparently to meet foreign labelling requirements.
Mundhe also said investigators found products carrying future manufacturing dates, including some allegedly marked October 2, 2026, despite being found inside the warehouse in August.
The police case did not accuse PepsiCo, Nestle, Unilever or Coca-Cola of wrongdoing.
However, Mundhe called for greater accountability across food supply chains.
“Everybody needs to take this seriously. Companies have to abide with compliances and ensure that branding, packaging and sale is done as per regulations,” he said.
PepsiCo, Nestle, Hindustan Unilever and Coca-Cola did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Reuters also reported that calls to the warehouse’s co-owners, Jayprakash Sanchatiram Singh and Jaya Navrang Bahadur Singh, went unanswered.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone had been arrested.
The raid comes as Maharashtra intensifies food safety enforcement under Mundhe, whose surprise inspections of restaurants and elite clubs have attracted widespread attention in India.
