By The police have registered a case against the proprietor of a New Delhi-based company and its Navi Mumbai office manager for allegedly tampering with food products, including of some popular brands, and then selling them in the market. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a raid at the company’s premises and seized the adulterated stock.
The FDA officials raided the company’s office and godown at Turbhe in Navi Mumbai on February 9 and 10, following a tip-off from a source. They found that the accused had tampered with the batch number, expiry date, and labels of various food products, such as biscuits, chocolates, chips, and snacks. They had also changed the nutritional information and ingredients of the products to mislead the consumers.
The FDA officials seized the tampered stock of food items worth Rs 24.52 lakh from the premises. They also collected samples of the products for further analysis and verification. The FDA officials said that the accused had violated the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
Police case against the accused
Based on the complaint by the FDA officials, the Turbhe police registered a case against the two accused, identified as the proprietor of the company and its Navi Mumbai office manager, on Tuesday. The accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, such as 272 (adulteration of food or drink intended for sale), 273 (sale of noxious food or drink), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
The police said that the accused had procured the food products from different sources and then tampered with them at their office and godown. They had then sold the adulterated products to various retailers and wholesalers in the market. The police are investigating the motive and the modus operandi of the accused. They are also trying to trace the source and the destination of the tampered products.
A serious threat to public health
The food tampering racket has exposed a serious threat to the public health and safety. The consumption of adulterated food products can cause various health problems, such as food poisoning, allergic reactions, infections, and chronic diseases. The tampering of the labels can also misguide the consumers about the quality and the quantity of the products.
The FDA officials have appealed to the public to be vigilant and careful while buying and consuming food products. They have advised the consumers to check the batch number, expiry date, and labels of the products before buying them. They have also urged the consumers to report any suspicious or substandard food products to the FDA or the police.