An operation by the Tukaram Mundhe-led Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration in Bhiwandi has uncovered expired, damaged, and rejected food products worth Rs 33 crore. The findings have raised concerns that stock marked for destruction by major food companies may have been diverted back into the market for resale to consumers.
The FDA conducted coordinated inspections on October 14 and 15, checking food retailers, warehouses, and waste-disposal contractors while tracing products designated for destruction. These findings led to a first information report being filed against 10 people connected to food companies, warehouses, disposal agencies, and local traders.
During the operation, regulatory officials inspected a discount store in the Gulzar Nagar area of Bhiwandi and found multiple varieties of expired, damaged, and leaking food products on sale. The establishment lacked a mandatory food license, purchase bills, inward records, and supplier details.
Investigators traced the stock to local premises, where additional expired and damaged goods were seized and operations were halted. The inquiry subsequently led officials to a disposal firm in Bhiwandi's Khoni and Kamba areas, where large quantities of expired stock from various companies were uncovered without adequate records to prove proper transport, movement, or destruction.
Regulatory teams also inspected warehouses operated by Reliance Consumer Products and Reliance Retail, alongside a Zomato Hyperpure facility servicing Blinkit Commerce. These checks scrutinized the record-keeping for the transportation and disposal of expired or damaged inventory.
At the Reliance Consumer Products warehouse, officials discovered thousands of kilograms of expired and damaged products, noting that the firm could not produce sufficient documentation to verify that the stock was handled properly by its waste management contractor. Similar documentation gaps regarding contractor authorizations were identified at the Reliance Retail facility.
At the Zomato Hyperpure facility, inspectors encountered expired and unsafe items, including packaging showing leaks or rodent damage. Investigators also questioned claims that certain expired inventory was sent to a Bengaluru-based entity named Pan India Grocery Dump, as preliminary checks suggested the business might not exist.
The FDA suspects that goods from major company warehouses flowed through disposal intermediaries and contractors before ultimately reaching local suppliers and retailers for resale. Consequently, the formal police complaint lists food stock valued at Rs 33.71 crore as property connected to the ongoing investigation.
In a related administrative action, an internal FDA report revealed that five food safety licenses associated with the inspected Reliance and Zomato-linked facilities in Maharashtra were suspended following official hearings.